The Wrath of God

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

Engagement

This morning marks the second sermon in our series “Knowing God”. Bur before we go any further I want to ask all of you a question.

Do you really want to know God?

Before you answer that question, I want you to think about the consequences of your answer. And here are a couple of things to consider as you do that:

Notice that I didn’t say “know about God”. Most of us are probably pretty comfortable with that since just knowing about God doesn’t really require a response. But really knowing God does.

Are you willing to know God as He really is - all of His attributes that are revealed in the Scriptures, even those that you might not be comfortable with? Or, like the spiritual community that Ryan talked about last week, are you more of a “Love. Period.” kind of person?

Tension

I am convinced that there are a lot of people in today’s culture, maybe even some of you here this morning, who say they want to know God, but as you dig a little more you find they really aren’t willing to embrace the God of the Bible, but rather they pick and choose the attributes of God that they are comfortable with.

In the Great Awakening that took place in what were still the British colonies in the mid 1700’s, Jonathan Edwards preached a famous sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. In that sermon, he pictured the lost as dangling over the flames of hell, like a spider hanging over a fire. That kind of preaching ignited (pardon the pun) a great revival in which many people became disciples of Jesus.

Contrast that with today. Can you imagine a church advertising that sermon title on their sign or their website? In many of today’s churches you’re much more likely to hear a message based on Dale Carnegie's “winning friends and influencing people” or about a God who is our friend who will help us through all life’s difficulties and give us our “best life now”.

Undoubtedly, there is a need for balance here. I’m not suggesting that we merely focus on God’s wrath - the attribute of God we’ll be talking about today - and ignore His grace, mercy and steadfast love. I know some of you here have been part of a church that and that’s definitely not healthy. But there is little doubt in my mind that in our culture the pendulum has swung about as far away from talking about God’s wrath as possible.

Theologian Richard Niebuhr wrote these insightful words back in 1959 to describe what happens when the church fails to acknowledge God’s wrath:

A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

Truth

While we only have four weeks in this series to focus on the attributes of God, there is no doubt that any series on knowing God would be incomplete without including God’s wrath.

I haven’t confirmed this myself but one of my favorite authors, A. W. Tozer, notes that there are over 300 references to God’s wrath in the Bible. And Bible commentator and preacher A.W. Pink noted that there are more references in the Scriptures to the wrath of God than there are to His love and tenderness.

So today, we’re going to take a look at an Old Testament passage that reveals a lot about God’s wrath. It’s from the book of Nahum. Nahum is one of the so-called “minor prophets” and you’ll find his book right after Micah and right before Habakkuk. And there is no shame in using your Bible’s table of contents if you need to.

This passage can be a little confusing. Sometimes it’s difficult to know who is speaking and to whom those words are being spoken. So we’ll work our way through the passage and then see what applications we can draw from it.

Let’s begin at verse 1:

Nahum 1:1 ESV

1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.

We learn right away that this prophecy is directed toward Nineveh, one of the capitals of the Assyrian Empire. Most of you are probably familiar with the other Biblical prophecy directed to Nineveh. That prophecy had been given by Jonah about 100 years earlier. What’s really ironic is that based on what we know about Jonah, he would have been much happier if God had called him to preach this message of judgment, rather than the message he preached that resulted in the people of Nineveh repenting of their sin and avoiding God’s wrath.

As Nahum writes this prophecy the Assyrian army was spread out around the city of Jerusalem. That army was ruthless and was known for sparing no one when they attacked. So God sends a message of comfort that is brought by a prophet whose name means “comfort” or “consolation”. As we’ll see, that message of comfort is interspersed with a warning to the Assyrians.

The next five verses are where we get to know who God is as Nahum describes His character:

Nahum 1:2–6 ESV

2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. 5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Honestly, this isn’t a real fun section of Scripture to read is it? I can guarantee that this will never show up in the verse of the day sent out by a radio station that bills itself as “positive and encouraging”. But if we’re really going to know God as He truly is, then these are important verses.

Look at all the words Nahum uses to describe God’s wrath: jealous, avenging, wrathful, anger, indignation. And we also see here that God has the power to carry out His wrath. He has absolute sovereign control over all of His creation and He can use whatever He wants to carry out His wrath.

I think one of the reasons we tend to bristle at God’s wrath is that when we apply those same terms to our own lives, we tend to think of wrath as being out of control. But we see here that God’s wrath is measured and completely under control. Unlike us, He is slow to anger.

This would probably be a good time for us to define what we mean by God’s wrath. I looked at a number of really good definitions this week, but here is a really concise definition that captures the essence of what God’s wrath is:

God’s holy hatred of all that is unholy

In other words, God’s holiness actually requires His wrath. It requires that he judge and take action against those things that violate who He is.

It’s important to understand that God’s wrath is not the “opposite” of His love. It is, as we will see more clearly in a moment, a crucial aspect of His love.

But the good news is that, in spite of the fact that we all deserve God’s wrath, there is a way to escape it. Let’s look at verse 7:

Nahum 1:7 ESV

7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

For many of you, this verse is probably your only previous exposure to the book of Nahum, and you probably didn’t even know that. If you go to In-N-Out burger and order a double-double, the wrapper of your burger has the reference to this verse printed on it. I think that is actually pretty ironic when you consider the entire context of this passage. I’m not sure that the people at In-N-Out really meant for people to focus on God’s wrath.

Up until now, God’s words have been directed toward the people of Nineveh. Just 100 earlier they had repented and God spared them from judgment, but apparently the following generations had strayed right back to where they had been as a culture previously. So God is about to pour out His wrath on them.

But in this verse, God speaks to the people of Judah and encourages them by reminding them that if they will take refuge in Him alone, He will be their stronghold that keeps them from His wrath.

This is a good time to share our main idea for today:

The closer I am to God, the farther I am from His wrath

We’ll come back to this idea in a moment and develop some practical applications that will help us stay close to God and avoid His wrath.

Beginning In verse 8, Nahum contrasts the fate of those who do not take refuge in Him to those that do:

Nahum 1:8–12 ESV

8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. 9 What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time. 10 For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried. 11 From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord, a worthless counselor. 12 Thus says the Lord, “Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away...

You’ll notice that I stopped in the middle of verse 12. I’ll explain why in a moment.

In these verses, Nahum contrasts the fate of those who do not take refuge in God with those that do.

I really like how J.I Packer framed this contrast in his book Knowing God:

The Bible labors the point that just as God is good to those who trust him, so he is terrible to those who do not.

Interestingly, the overflowing flood that Nahum writes about in verse 8 was fulfilled both figuratively and literally. According to historical records, during the final siege of Nineveh by the Babylonians, unusually heavy rains caused the rivers to flood and that undermined the city walls, which allowed the invading armies to enter the city and conquer it.

And God’s promise to make a complete end of Nineveh was also fulfilled as the city wasn’t found until archaeologists discovered the rubble in the 1840’s.

In the middle of verse 12, Nahum returns to his message of comfort for the people of Judah:

Nahum 1:12–13 ESV

12 ...Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. 13 And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.”

Nahum clearly implies that God has been using the Assyrians as a means of discipline for His people who have rebelled against Him. This is something that we see consistently throughout the Old Testament as God often uses evil, pagan nations as instrument of His discipline. But God promises here to remove that yoke from Judah. That had to be a very comforting message to God’s people.

In verse 14, Nahum once again addresses the Assyrians:

Nahum 1:14 ESV

14 The Lord has given commandment about you: “No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile.”

God reinforces what He has promised earlier. He is going to completely wipe them out along with all their gods.

Nahum finishes the chapter with one last word of comfort and encouragement - and a word of exhortation - for the people of Judah:

Nahum 1:15 ESV

15 Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

The prophet Isaiah writes almost the exact same words in Isaiah 52 and Paul cites both passages in Romans 10.

Although these words were very comforting to the people of Judah, there is also a word of exhortation and warning here. In order to remain close to God and avoid His wrath, the people were to be obedient to God by keeping the feasts God had prescribed and by being faithful to do what they had promised God they would do.

Application

Our main idea this morning is...

The closer I am to God, the farther I am from His wrath

So it seems appropriate to see what we can learn from this passage about...

HOW TO STAY CLOSE TO GOD

Make Jesus my only refuge

This takes us right back to our In-N-Out wrapper and verse 7. In this series we’ve been talking about knowing God, but here we learn that God knows those who take refuge in Him. But how exactly do we do that? How is it even possible for sinners like us to take refuge in God?

I know I’m not telling most of us anything new here, but from beginning to end the Bible is clear that there is nothing I can do on my own to take refuge in God. From Genesis to Revelation, the consistent message of the Bible is that we have to wait for God to provide refuge and then cling to that provision when it occurs. That was true of Adam and Eve in the garden when they learned that their way to God - a couple of fig leaves - was completely inadequate. They had to wait until God shed the blood of an animal and made animal skins to cover their sin and shame.

We see the same thing in Revelation when only Jesus has the ability to defeat His enemies and gather His disciples together into His kingdom.

So the only way for us to take refuge in God is to put our faith in Jesus, His Son. In John 10, Jesus confirms this idea:

John 10:14 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

John 10:27 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Those who belong to Jesus, who is 100% God, know Him and are known by Him. And the only way for that to happen is to hear His voice and follow Him.

That is the only way to avoid the wrath of God. So if you’ve never made that decision, please don’t delay. Do it today. Do it right now. Because, unless you do that nothing else I’m going to say today is going to keep you from experiencing God’s wrath.

Before I share these next three principles, I want to make it really clear that if you are a genuine disciple of Jesus, your sin will not separate you from the love of God or subject you to the wrath of God. Here’s what Paul wrote to the churches in Rome:

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:9 ESV

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

So if you have put your faith in Jesus alone, there is no reason to fear God’s wrath. However as we see in our passage today and throughout the Bible, sometimes there isn’t a great deal of difference between God’s discipline and His wrath. So it’s important to stay close to God even if you are a genuine disciple of Jesus

Don’t get complacent about my sin

We learn this lesson from the people of Nineveh. A little over 100 years earlier they had listened to Jonah and repented, and changed their ways - at least for a season.

But after a while as new generations were born they went right back to their old ways. And since God’s wrath wasn’t immediate, their sin just continued to get worse and worse.

It’s real easy for us to sit back and criticize the people of Nineveh, but we tend to do exactly the same thing. When we sin and we don’t get caught or we don’t experience immediate consequences, it’s really easy to think that we’ve gotten away with that sin and when that happens our tendency is to just continue in that sin and often go even deeper into it.

While it is true, as we have seen, that for the Christian our sin does not technically separate us from God, it is equally true that when we get caught up in a lifestyle of sin, we usually move away from God. And eventually God loves us enough that He will discipline us so that we’ll deal with that sin. And that is often painful.

It is also important to note that while God promises to forgive us for our sins when we confess them, He never promises to free us from the consequences of our sin. So the best approach is always to deal with our sin quickly and completely and not get complacent.

Make community a priority

In verse 15, God commands His people to keep their feasts. One of the things that made Israel unique were the seven feasts that God prescribed for His people. Every one of those feasts were an opportunity for the people to gather and remember what God had done for them and to celebrate who He is.

While it was important for the individual families to teach their children about God - see Deuteronomy 6, for example -knowing God was enhanced when God’s people gathered together as a community.

The same is true today. All of us need to be getting to know God personally by reading and studying the Bible and by praying. But gathering together as a community certainly enhances our ability to know God. So that means we need to make it a priority.

Share the good news

Just like the Ninevites, those who refuse to take refuge in God by putting their faith in Jesus, will one day face the wrath of God. They will be judged and spend eternity separated from God in a place of horrible suffering and pain.

Knowing that ought to motivate us to being the people Nahum writes about in verse 15, those who bring good news. That is not a task that is just reserved for pastors or elders. Jesus has commissioned every one of His disciples to go and make more disciples. I’ll let Jesus confirm this with His own words:

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Action

We’ve seen this morning that...

The closer I am to God, the farther I am from His wrath

What will you do today in order to get closer to God?

Will you take refuge in God by putting your faith in Jesus alone?

Is there some sin in your life that has caused you to draw away from God? Will you confess that today and repent?

Could you do a better job of making community a priority? There are many opportunities right here at TFC to do that.

Is there someone you know who is going to one day face the wrath of God because they don’t know Jesus? Will you pray for that person and ask God to give you an opportunity to share the good news with them?

Inspiration

God is both a God of wrath and a God of love. Most of the world can’t fathom that because they assume that the two can’t coexist. So it’s pretty easy to see how a spiritual community can adopt the motto of “Love, Period”.

But the truth is that God’s love and His wrath are actually very complementary. In fact, I would go so far as to say that God’s wrath actually makes His love for us all the more amazing. The idea that God loves us so much that He provided a way to save us from His wrath - the wrath that we all deserve - is pretty phenomenal isn’t it?