The Wrath of God

Last week we talked about how that in the gospel a righteousness of God is being revealed.

This week we are talking about how the wrath of God is being revealed.

It’s two sides of the same coin.

There is an essential relationship between Gods righteousness and His wrath.

As much righteousness as God has He also has an equal amount of wrath.

If God responded to wickedness with no more than a benign tolerance, his righteousness could be called into question.

The righteousness of God is prefect therefore so is His wrath

That which is right necessarily stands over against and defines by contrast that which is wrong.

We recognize that divine wrath is not the same as human wrath.

Human wrath is normally self-centered, vindictive, and intent on harming another person.

God’s wrath is His divine displeasure with sin.

God’s Revelation vv 18-20

The first 3 verses tell why the wrath of God is being revealed.

God, in His creation, has provided sufficient evidence of Himself to hold accountable all who reject that revelation.

How can anyone look up to the stairs or look to the mountains and not see that this universe and everything in it was created by God?

(House question)

(Carolines heart)

God has revealed Himself in nature in such a way as to hold all people responsible.

Seeing the beauty and complexity of creation carries with it the responsibility of acknowledging the creator as both powerful and as living above the natural order.

Disbelief requires an act of rebellion against common sense.

Although the created order cannot force a person to believe, it does leave the recipient responsible for not believing.

Nature holds people responsible to believe in a God of eternal power.

Man’s Rejection v21

We can reasonably expect that knowing God should lead to honoring Him as God and giving thanks.

But by nature people neither give Him glory for who He is nor give Him thanks for what he has done.

In the sermon on the mount Jesus spoke of the sun and rain benefitting both the righteous and the unrighteous in Matt 5:45

Matthew 5:45 ESV

45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

God gives everyone the basic requirements for life no matter their relationship with Him.

The proper response should be gratitude.

But people choose to ignore God and come up with their own version of reality.

By rejecting the knowledge of the true God, religion is born.

F.J. Leenhardt calls it the triumph of gods over God.

To turn from the light or revelation is to head into darkness.

Man’s Rationalization v22

By rejecting the knowledge of God available in creation, people claimed to be wiser than God.

Putting ourselves over God lyes at the heart of Human rebellion.

Satan did the same thing.

One cannot turn from knowledge without consequences.

The rejection of truth marks the rebel as a fool.

Man’s Religion vv23-25

Their wisdom led them to bater the majesty of the immortal God for “Images made to look like mortal man”.

In fact they even exchanged the glory of God for images of Birds, beasts, and creatures that crawl along the ground.

People gave up the glory of God to have things He could give them at will.

They worshiped the things that we are to have dominion over.

They gave up Holy truth for and earthly lie.

God allowed them to do this even though it is wrong.

We have the free will to chose which person to worship we just have to choose the right one.

Benedictions 023 Benediction

023 BENEDICTION

May goodness and loving kindness follow you all the days of your life,

May His loving-kindness and truth continually preserve you,

So that you can say, the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.