Sermon Tone Analysis

In Fleming Rutledge's new book, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ, she acknowledges the difficulty that modern people have with the concept of God's wrath.

Nevertheless, she writes, "there can be no turning away from this prominent biblical theme."

But forget the Bible for a moment: don't we have wrath, too?

Rutledge writes:

A slogan of our times is "Where's the outrage?"

It has been applied to everything from Big Pharma's market manipulation to CEOs' astronomical wealth to police officers' stonewalling.

"Where the outrage?" inquire many commentators, wondering why congressmen, officials, and ordinary voters seem so indifferent.

Why has the gap between rich and poor become so huge?

Why are so many mentally ill people slipping through the cracks?

Why does gun violence continue to be a hallmark of American culture?

Why are there so many innocent people on death row?

Why are our prisons filled with such a preponderance of black and Hispanic men? Where's the outrage?

The public is outraged all over cyberspace about all kinds of things that annoy us personally—the NIMBY (not in my back yard) syndrome—but outrages in the heart of God go unnoticed and unaddressed.

“If we are resistant to the idea of the wrath of God, we might pause to reflect the next time we are outraged about something—about our property values being threatened, or our children's educational opportunities being limited, or our tax breaks being eliminated.

All of us are capable of anger about something.

God's anger, however, is pure.

It does not have the maintenance of privilege as its object, but goes out on behalf of those who have no privileges.

The wrath of God is not an emotion that flares up from time to time, as though God had temper tantrums; it is a way of describing his absolute enmity against all wrong and his come to set matters right.”

Many of us today struggle with the idea of a God who is wrathful.

We don’t like the idea of it.

It does not make sense that a loving God could be that way.

He’s not being positive.

But even though it does not make sense to us, it does not mean that it is not true.

I wonder if our concept of God has really been shaped by the scriptures or has it been shaped by our culture?

I believe this is why we struggle with it.

We are way too influenced by our culture.

(Quick aside) Today the church is not in danger of annihilation, but assimilation.

In his book Soul Searching, Christian Smith summarized perceptions about God that are prevalent in the church and in contemporary culture.

He coined it, moralistic, therapeutic, deism.

Moral implies that God wants us to be nice.

He rewards the good and withholds from the naughty.

Therapeutic means that God just wants us to be happy.

Deism means that God is distant and not involved in our daily lives.

God may get involved occasionally, but on the whole, God functions like an idea not a personal being actively present in our world.

According to Smith, this is the version of God that's prevalent in our culture and in our churches.

Often without realizing it, every culture quietly molds and shapes our views of God.

But we can't grow in our relationship with God when we insist on relating to God as we think he should be.

It's the same way in our human relationships: if I demand that you just meet my needs and conform to my assumptions about you, you will probably feel cheapened and manipulated.

That's why our surrender to God-as-he-is, as revealed in the Bible, is so important.

Otherwise, we will have a god of our own imaginations - which is an idol.

But the God of the Bible does display wrath when angered.

Does He not?

Yes.

It is clear that He intensely hates all sin and wickedness and no... this is not just the God of the OT.

Ever heard that one before?

Ahhhh, but did we ever think of what it would be like if God was not just and angry with sin?

What would the world be like?

What would we be like?

The reality is… we need God to be just and we need His wrath.

The question is not whether God is Just or Wrathful… it is… is it possible for us to be saved from the Wrath and Judgement of God?

This is what we will find out today.

Last time we witnessed the agony of Samuel in deep depression.

So much so that the Lord needed to snap him out of it by His wonderful words of promise.

Then we saw unfold the anointing of David to be king.

But before it happened, we were all taught a lesson of our wrongful need to judge by appearance.

But now…what of Saul?

The Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul and a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon him and tormented him.

NASB says “terrorized him.”

His servants urged him to let them find someone who is skilled at the lyre (kinda like a harp and played like a guitar) and when you are tormented, he can play for you and make you feel better.

Saul said fine.

One of the servants said a son of Jesse can play the lyre, he is skilled, he is a man of war, a brave warrior, good in speech, good presence and the Lord is with him.

Jesse then sent David to Saul along with a young goat, a donkey with bread, and some wine.

Saul eventually loved David and made him his armor bearer (one who carries the masters shield, armor and weapons).

Saul asked Jesse if David could remain in Saul’s service for he is happy with him.

When the terrorizing spirit came upon Saul, David would play the lyre(harp that’s played like a guitar) and the spirit would flee.

1 Samuel 16:21-23

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

Giving the Evil Spirit

Taking the Holy Spirit

The Music of the Gospel

The first thing we will look at is the first tragedy of the judgement of God… the giving of an evil spirit.

The second thing we will look at is the second tragedy of the judgement of God…the taking of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, we will look at the only thing that can bring us comfort… the music of the Gospel.

Though we, in sin, can and are indifferent to and unaware of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it is Christ who will cause us to be free of the tormenting spirit of sin with the beautiful music of the gospel.

I. Giving the Evil Spirit

- The worst thing that could happen to us is not the wrath of the devil, but the wrath of God.

A. The first thing we need to see at the beginning of this passage… Do we realize what has happened to Saul here?

The first thing is that the Holy Spirit departed.

The second thing is that a tormenting spirit has come upon him.

This is judgment and understanding this will help us understand the puzzling piece of this passage.

B. Let’s deal with the tormenting or in some of your translations “evil” spirit first.

Now we must understand that the evil spirit is maybe not a demon.

Background is not all that convincing, but in light of God suggesting to the Devil to test Job, it might be enough to support this understanding.

But I think it is better understood that it is a angelic spirit that brings “evil” or evil in the sense of “trouble, torment or something bad” to Saul.

C. God sending an angel to administer the trouble.

Hmmm really?

Now it’s not like this is a rarity in scripture, so we should not be surprised.

Right?

Check this out.

Judges 9:

1 Kings 22:

F. The Angel of death did what to the firstborn of the Egyptians?

Do you know what all of these events have in common.

Judgment.

Do we understand that?

Judgment.

The angels carried out the righteous judgment of God and it was Good.

The Judgements that God brings are not horrible wicked things… the angels are doing it.

Devil does not judge.

The worse thing that could happen to us is not the wrath of the devil, but the wrath of God.