Children of Wrath

Ephesians 2:3
Broadcast Featured Image

Pastor Colin begins by explaining the nature of sin in humanity, tracing it back to Adam’s fall. He emphasises that even Christians, although forgiven, are still sinners and depend on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The misconception that Christians are free from sin is refuted, illustrating that the struggle with sin continues.

The central focus is on Ephesians 2:3, which states that all humans are “by nature children of wrath.” Pastor Colin clarifies that this default position under God’s wrath stems from our inherent sinful nature. To illustrate, he shares a parable about the “biggest problem,” highlighting the urgency and severity of being under God’s wrath compared to other life issues.

Pastor Colin describes three essential truths regarding God’s wrath: the world needs it to eradicate sin, every person deserves it due to inherent sinfulness, and Christ bore it on the cross to save humanity. This sacrificial act of Jesus enduring God’s wrath is presented as the ultimate expression of divine love.

The sermon challenges listeners to seriously consider the significance of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s wrath. It calls Christians to deepen their understanding of divine love and to remain focused on the gospel in their mission. For non-believers, it encourages overcoming barriers to faith in Jesus Christ, stressing the importance of embracing His love and forgiveness.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,180 Well, I invite you to open your Bible at Ephesians in chapter 2 and verse 3, the second half 2 00:00:06,180 –> 00:00:08,260 of the verse that we’re looking at today. 3 00:00:08,260 –> 00:00:13,920 I have to tell you that I have one of the most difficult tasks that is ever entrusted 4 00:00:13,920 –> 00:00:20,280 to a pastor, but if I am to be a faithful pastor to you and if I am to be faithful before 5 00:00:20,280 –> 00:00:23,360 God, I must do it. 6 00:00:23,400 –> 00:00:29,660 My task today is to speak to you from the Bible about the subject of the wrath of God. 7 00:00:29,660 –> 00:00:35,419 We’re looking at the inside story of human life and we began in Ecclesiastes chapter 8 00:00:35,419 –> 00:00:37,900 seven and verse twenty-nine. 9 00:00:37,900 –> 00:00:44,980 We read there that God made Adam upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. 10 00:00:44,980 –> 00:00:51,220 So Adam fell and his children were born in the likeness of their fallen father. 11 00:00:51,220 –> 00:00:55,340 And from that foundation we turn to Ephesians chapter two, which I hope you’ll open your 12 00:00:55,340 –> 00:00:57,060 Bible there now. 13 00:00:57,060 –> 00:01:01,939 Where God speaks in verse three about the cravings of the sinful heart, or the sinful 14 00:01:01,939 –> 00:01:08,260 nature, cravings that find expression in our thoughts and in our desires. 15 00:01:08,260 –> 00:01:12,620 And as we looked at that here’s what we discovered it means for Christians. 16 00:01:12,620 –> 00:01:19,940 When God’s grace enters the heart sin is forgiven, but sin is not expelled. 17 00:01:19,940 –> 00:01:21,980 Your sin is forgiven. 18 00:01:21,980 –> 00:01:25,419 But if you think you’re sin free because you’re a Christian you’ve got another thing coming. 19 00:01:25,419 –> 00:01:28,599 The Bible says something very, very different. 20 00:01:28,599 –> 00:01:35,099 Christians may be called saints, as some folks like to point out, but we do not cease to 21 00:01:35,099 –> 00:01:38,279 be sinners. 22 00:01:38,279 –> 00:01:44,599 We are always therefore dependent upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is ours 23 00:01:44,599 –> 00:01:47,900 only by relationship with Him through faith. 24 00:01:47,940 –> 00:01:53,400 Now that’s very important to grasp because you folks know that there is a self-righteous 25 00:01:53,400 –> 00:01:59,160 kind of perversion of Christianity out there that speaks something like this. 26 00:01:59,160 –> 00:02:04,940 The perversion of Christianity says will sin is in these people out there but it’s not 27 00:02:04,940 –> 00:02:08,380 in us in here. 28 00:02:08,380 –> 00:02:14,100 And a person who thinks like that has really never come to terms with what we’re learning 29 00:02:14,100 –> 00:02:17,139 from the Bible about sin. 30 00:02:17,139 –> 00:02:22,020 And by the way, you can be sure that where that is the case such a person will not know 31 00:02:22,020 –> 00:02:26,660 much about the love of God either because these two things as we’re going to see today 32 00:02:26,660 –> 00:02:29,520 always go together. 33 00:02:29,520 –> 00:02:34,779 So we’re learning in this series then that the problem of sin runs deep in all of us. 34 00:02:34,779 –> 00:02:40,460 That as Christians we are forgiven sinners but we are still in the process of being redeemed. 35 00:02:40,460 –> 00:02:45,300 To be in Christ means that your sins are forgiven, your condemnation is removed. 36 00:02:45,580 –> 00:02:48,580 but none of us are yet what we one day will be. 37 00:02:48,580 –> 00:02:53,139 God’s work of restoration in us has begun but it is not yet complete. 38 00:02:53,139 –> 00:02:57,139 And that is why the nature of the Christian life is a daily battle. 39 00:02:57,139 –> 00:03:01,979 We are always in conflict against the allurements of the world, the lusts of the flesh and the 40 00:03:01,979 –> 00:03:04,179 snares of the devil. 41 00:03:04,179 –> 00:03:10,860 The impulse of sin, you have discovered this as I do, it erupts from our flesh in all kinds 42 00:03:10,860 –> 00:03:14,580 of surprising and unexpected sorts of ways. 43 00:03:15,580 –> 00:03:20,259 So that none of us ever gets to a place where we could say, well now I will offer my Christian 44 00:03:20,259 –> 00:03:24,940 life to God as a kind of reason why I should enter into heaven. 45 00:03:24,940 –> 00:03:32,039 No, we always stand only on the mercy of God which is ours in Jesus Christ. 46 00:03:32,039 –> 00:03:34,259 Now that’s what we’ve got in this series. 47 00:03:34,259 –> 00:03:38,779 And I hope that you’re now within your Bible at Ephesians chapter two and verse three. 48 00:03:38,779 –> 00:03:40,940 And here’s where we’ve come to. 49 00:03:41,039 –> 00:03:49,919 Like the rest, the scripture says, we were by nature objects, or literally the word there 50 00:03:49,919 –> 00:03:50,919 is children. 51 00:03:50,919 –> 00:03:53,080 Your version may say children. 52 00:03:53,080 –> 00:03:59,559 We were by nature children of wrath. 53 00:03:59,559 –> 00:04:04,059 Now this may be one of the most disturbing verses in all of the Bible. 54 00:04:04,059 –> 00:04:06,960 But its meaning is surely clear. 55 00:04:06,960 –> 00:04:13,940 The default position of every human life is that we are under the wrath of God. 56 00:04:13,940 –> 00:04:16,179 We are all born sinners. 57 00:04:16,179 –> 00:04:19,279 That was what we were learning last time. 58 00:04:19,279 –> 00:04:29,519 The impulse to sin runs in the bloodlines of every race, every person, every generation. 59 00:04:29,519 –> 00:04:33,260 And if you have come to believe what we saw last time with regards to the Bible’s teaching 60 00:04:33,260 –> 00:04:36,899 about sin, it really should not surprise you to read what follows. 61 00:04:36,920 –> 00:04:42,220 That we were by nature children then of wrath. 62 00:04:42,220 –> 00:04:47,420 No, to help us grasp the importance of this truth today, I want to tell you a story. 63 00:04:47,420 –> 00:04:52,600 I called it the parable of the biggest problem. 64 00:04:52,600 –> 00:04:55,059 The parable of the biggest problems. 65 00:04:55,059 –> 00:04:58,839 So come with me in your imagination for a few moments. 66 00:04:58,839 –> 00:05:06,100 I want you to picture an ancient church in the center of the City of London. 67 00:05:06,320 –> 00:05:10,820 The building goes back to the 15th century. 68 00:05:10,820 –> 00:05:16,940 Visitors come into the old church and they view the stained glass and they look at the 69 00:05:16,940 –> 00:05:18,559 ancient walls. 70 00:05:18,559 –> 00:05:25,339 And below the area where the people gather, there is a crypt, a kind of basement, where 71 00:05:25,339 –> 00:05:29,480 great men and women from the past lie buried beneath the stones. 72 00:05:29,480 –> 00:05:32,299 You got the picture? 73 00:05:32,359 –> 00:05:37,420 Pastor John walks through the church, a kindly and a godly man. 74 00:05:37,420 –> 00:05:44,459 He has served there for 30 years and more, and wearing his long gown is often a means 75 00:05:44,459 –> 00:05:48,519 of help and comfort to people in need. 76 00:05:48,519 –> 00:05:54,440 He is supported by his tireless assistant, and the elderly church caretaker. 77 00:05:54,440 –> 00:06:00,660 A wise and kindly man, John is the sort of person you feel you could talk to, the kind 78 00:06:00,700 –> 00:06:05,799 of Pastor you would feel you would want to talk to when you’re getting into trouble. 79 00:06:05,799 –> 00:06:11,660 Well, one day a man came into the church looking for Pastor John. 80 00:06:11,660 –> 00:06:14,160 Ben was troubled. 81 00:06:14,160 –> 00:06:15,720 He needed to talk. 82 00:06:15,720 –> 00:06:18,299 How can I help you, Ben? 83 00:06:18,299 –> 00:06:22,880 Asked Pastor John as they sat down in his office. 84 00:06:22,880 –> 00:06:25,820 Ben looked at the floor for a long time. 85 00:06:26,820 –> 00:06:36,779 And then he said, Pastor John, how can I become a more generous person? 86 00:06:36,779 –> 00:06:39,660 Well, Pastor John smiled. 87 00:06:39,660 –> 00:06:42,059 That’s a great question, Ben. 88 00:06:42,059 –> 00:06:45,260 Why do you ask that? 89 00:06:45,260 –> 00:06:51,420 I don’t know, said Ben, I’ve made some bad investments. 90 00:06:51,619 –> 00:06:56,019 I don’t have peace with what I’m doing with my money. 91 00:06:56,019 –> 00:07:00,700 Maybe it’s that I need to give more, and… 92 00:07:00,700 –> 00:07:05,859 Pastor John was a wise pastor and he sensed that Ben wasn’t getting to the point of what 93 00:07:05,859 –> 00:07:09,399 he needed to talk about. 94 00:07:09,399 –> 00:07:14,260 Is there something else you want to tell me, Ben? 95 00:07:14,260 –> 00:07:17,700 There was a long silence. 96 00:07:18,000 –> 00:07:25,579 Ben, where did you get the money that you regret spending? 97 00:07:25,579 –> 00:07:32,299 Oh, it came from the pension fund, said Ben. 98 00:07:32,299 –> 00:07:35,940 You’ve taken money out of your pension fund? 99 00:07:35,940 –> 00:07:37,179 No. 100 00:07:37,179 –> 00:07:42,820 I’ve taken it out of other people’s pension fund. 101 00:07:42,880 –> 00:07:50,500 It’s my job to manage the pension fund for my company, says Ben. 102 00:07:50,500 –> 00:07:54,799 Pastor John strokes his chin. 103 00:07:54,799 –> 00:07:59,059 Ben has been talking about becoming a more generous person. 104 00:07:59,059 –> 00:08:02,820 Now there’s a bigger problem. 105 00:08:02,820 –> 00:08:10,940 Ben was guilty of a crime that could see him behind bars for the next twenty years. 106 00:08:11,040 –> 00:08:17,079 Pastor John took a deep breath as he prepared to tell Ben what he must do and then to try 107 00:08:17,079 –> 00:08:21,619 and help this man find the courage to do it. 108 00:08:21,619 –> 00:08:27,279 He was just about to speak when the two of them heard the most awful shouting. 109 00:08:27,279 –> 00:08:29,260 Pastor John knew the voice. 110 00:08:29,260 –> 00:08:31,059 It was the old caretaker. 111 00:08:31,059 –> 00:08:33,239 The office door flew open. 112 00:08:33,239 –> 00:08:38,020 Pastor John, Pastor John, there’s a bomb in the crypt. 113 00:08:38,780 –> 00:08:41,299 It’s about to go off. 114 00:08:41,299 –> 00:08:42,820 We have to get out. 115 00:08:42,820 –> 00:08:45,440 Now. 116 00:08:45,940 –> 00:08:49,140 What’s the biggest problem? 117 00:08:50,000 –> 00:08:54,460 Ben wants to be a more generous person. 118 00:08:54,460 –> 00:08:59,799 But there’s the bigger problem that he’s stolen two million dollars from the company’s 119 00:08:59,799 –> 00:09:05,900 pension fund and he’s really facing a long stretch in jail. 120 00:09:06,020 –> 00:09:12,840 But even that takes a secondary place to the biggest problem which actually neither Ben 121 00:09:12,840 –> 00:09:18,859 nor Pastor John had even been aware of until the caretaker burst through the door. 122 00:09:18,859 –> 00:09:22,380 There’s a bomb in the building. 123 00:09:22,380 –> 00:09:29,419 And if they do not get out in the next minute, all of Pastor John’s wisdom about becoming 124 00:09:29,419 –> 00:09:35,479 a more generous person, and all of Ben’s fear about what it will mean to actually go 125 00:09:35,479 –> 00:09:42,940 and fess up to the police, the whole lot will be a supreme irrelevance. 126 00:09:42,940 –> 00:09:45,419 Now think about that parable in relation to yourself. 127 00:09:45,419 –> 00:09:52,539 You may have come here today in your heart thinking I want to become a better person. 128 00:09:52,539 –> 00:09:57,679 You may have come here in your heart thinking, now there is some stuff within my life that 129 00:09:57,679 –> 00:10:06,340 I know that I need to deal with, but towering over all the stuff that you may need to deal 130 00:10:06,340 –> 00:10:11,440 with in your life, towering over all the growth that we may want to see in our lives in the 131 00:10:11,440 –> 00:10:18,679 coming year, there is a problem of altogether different proportion, a problem of which most 132 00:10:18,679 –> 00:10:20,739 people are not even aware. 133 00:10:21,580 –> 00:10:23,320 And it’s right here in this verse. 134 00:10:24,580 –> 00:10:32,500 Like the rest, we were children of wrath. 135 00:10:35,140 –> 00:10:39,840 There are three things, friends, that all of us need to know about the wrath of God. 136 00:10:39,840 –> 00:10:44,099 Let me state them as simply as I possibly can. 137 00:10:45,539 –> 00:10:48,179 Here’s the first thing you need to know about the wrath of God. 138 00:10:48,179 –> 00:10:50,020 The world needs it. 139 00:10:50,799 –> 00:10:53,359 This world needs it. 140 00:10:55,880 –> 00:11:08,760 I have to say tonight that the greatest problem in my mind with evolutionary theory is that if it were true, this world should be a better place by now. 141 00:11:08,760 –> 00:11:09,460 Right? 142 00:11:11,099 –> 00:11:17,020 If it were really true that we’re all getting better and we’re all getting better, surely by now, war should have ended. 143 00:11:18,280 –> 00:11:26,179 Surely by now, after all these centuries of human history, if this was true, we should be beyond murder, we should be beyond hatred. 144 00:11:26,200 –> 00:11:32,419 Surely by now we should live in a world where children are safe and women should be treated with dignity and respect. 145 00:11:32,440 –> 00:11:40,179 Surely by now we should have achieved world peace and wise government and freedom and justice for all. 146 00:11:42,239 –> 00:11:43,340 Why can’t we get there? 147 00:11:45,719 –> 00:11:48,080 Why can’t we get there ever? 148 00:11:49,179 –> 00:11:53,559 Why is it that every generation, whether you’re looking back in the 1960s, 149 00:11:53,599 –> 00:11:57,640 whether you’re looking at the rising generation now, look at any generation in human history, 150 00:11:57,659 –> 00:12:01,359 it is always the same. The young generation rises up and says, 151 00:12:01,400 –> 00:12:05,359 Why is the world like this? It shouldn’t be like this. Has to change. 152 00:12:07,159 –> 00:12:10,880 And then dies with the world pretty much as it was when they were young. 153 00:12:11,159 –> 00:12:17,619 See, the history of the world shows us that sin is a problem to which there is no human solution. 154 00:12:18,780 –> 00:12:20,479 Sin is a monster. 155 00:12:21,679 –> 00:12:27,320 And our only hope of the life that every human heart longs for 156 00:12:27,359 –> 00:12:32,559 is if it should be defeated and destroyed utterly and completely. 157 00:12:33,679 –> 00:12:37,140 And that is why you find throughout the Scriptures this great longing 158 00:12:37,140 –> 00:12:41,059 that rises from the hearts of those who are inspired by 159 00:12:41,080 –> 00:12:46,280 the Holy Spirit to long for a day when sin and evil and wickedness will be no more. 160 00:12:46,299 –> 00:12:49,479 Let me quote to you, for example, from Psalm 55. 161 00:12:50,840 –> 00:12:51,880 The prayer begins, 162 00:12:51,900 –> 00:12:53,640 Listen to my prayer, O God, 163 00:12:53,659 –> 00:12:56,739 Don’t ignore my plea, hear me and answer me. 164 00:12:57,679 –> 00:13:01,479 And then the psalmist goes on to speak in Psalm 55 about, 165 00:13:01,900 –> 00:13:06,700 about his own fear, about the oppression, about the darkness inside him and 166 00:13:06,940 –> 00:13:10,539 about the darkness that’s out there, the threats on his own life. 167 00:13:12,140 –> 00:13:14,059 In Psalm 55, verse nine, he says 168 00:13:14,080 –> 00:13:16,900 so confused, the wicked, O Lord compiled their speech 169 00:13:16,919 –> 00:13:20,020 because I see violence and strife in the city. 170 00:13:20,900 –> 00:13:26,859 Day and night the wicked prowl on its walls, malice and abuse are within it. 171 00:13:27,440 –> 00:13:30,000 Destructive forces are at work in the city. 172 00:13:30,039 –> 00:13:36,659 Threats and lies never leave its streets and that was written 3,000 years 173 00:13:36,880 –> 00:13:40,659 ago. Yesterday, nothing has changed. 174 00:13:42,719 –> 00:13:45,659 And so here’s where Psalm 55 ends and 175 00:13:45,679 –> 00:13:47,820 there are so many other psalms that are on the 176 00:13:47,859 –> 00:13:49,659 same theme. I’m only picking one. 177 00:13:49,679 –> 00:13:52,960 But you, O God, says the psalmist will bring down 178 00:13:52,979 –> 00:13:57,219 the wicked. You will bring the wicked down into the 179 00:13:57,239 –> 00:14:00,299 pit of corruption. That’s the hope that the 180 00:14:00,320 –> 00:14:02,479 psalmist sees. He does not see any other hope for 181 00:14:02,520 –> 00:14:05,080 the world except that God will destroy the wicked. 182 00:14:06,000 –> 00:14:08,239 That’s why I say the world needs us. 183 00:14:10,580 –> 00:14:13,700 A God who cannot destroy evil or who does 184 00:14:13,719 –> 00:14:17,299 not have the model will to do so is absolutely 185 00:14:17,320 –> 00:14:22,400 of no help in this world in which we live today. 186 00:14:22,419 –> 00:14:26,299 Period. And the good news of the gospel is that 187 00:14:26,320 –> 00:14:32,179 David’s prayer will be answered. God will bring 188 00:14:33,119 –> 00:14:38,419 David down to the pit of corruption. He will 189 00:14:38,460 –> 00:14:45,619 create the Bible says a new and a new earth. 190 00:14:45,659 –> 00:14:51,039 Sin will be no more. And this heaven and earth 191 00:14:51,059 –> 00:14:53,440 this new heaven and this new earth will be the 192 00:14:53,460 –> 00:15:01,159 home of righteousness. This is our hope. 193 00:15:01,159 –> 00:15:04,340 If this were not true folks, there would never 194 00:15:04,359 –> 00:15:07,880 come a time. No matter how long human history 195 00:15:07,900 –> 00:15:11,640 would extend there would never come a time. 196 00:15:11,679 –> 00:15:13,640 When there would be a world with peace 197 00:15:13,679 –> 00:15:16,979 and freedom and prosperity and justice and joy 198 00:15:17,020 –> 00:15:21,260 for all. Never, never never. 199 00:15:21,359 –> 00:15:27,020 So the first thing you need to know about the 200 00:15:27,059 –> 00:15:30,419 wrath of God is this. And Never forget it, 201 00:15:30,460 –> 00:15:33,919 He needs it. A second thing you need to 202 00:15:33,960 –> 00:15:36,000 know, and I’m going to put this more 203 00:15:36,020 –> 00:15:41,700 personally, I deserve it. Now I’m putting this 204 00:15:41,739 –> 00:15:45,059 in the first person and then the singular not 205 00:15:45,099 –> 00:15:48,640 only because it is true but frankly because 206 00:15:48,679 –> 00:15:51,440 it is easier for me to speak the way. It is 207 00:15:51,479 –> 00:15:55,179 easier for me to speak about my deserving 208 00:15:55,219 –> 00:15:58,659 it, than your deserving it, though as you have 209 00:15:59,119 –> 00:16:03,419 turned the R цел тabil bдолоtion 210 00:16:03,460 –> 00:16:05,919 open, you will want to include yourself with 211 00:16:05,960 –> 00:16:09,799 me, I’m sure. Like the rest, we were by 212 00:16:12,340 –> 00:16:17,979 nature children of wrath. Now, notice what he 213 00:16:18,500 –> 00:16:21,340 is saying, this is very important to grasp. He 214 00:16:21,380 –> 00:16:24,640 is not saying that if I do certain bad things, 215 00:16:24,679 –> 00:16:27,719 the wrath of God will come on me. He is saying 216 00:16:27,719 –> 00:16:33,320 that I am under the wrath by nature. In other 217 00:16:33,359 –> 00:16:35,119 words, this directly follows from 218 00:16:35,159 –> 00:16:39,900 everything that we learned last time. By 219 00:16:39,919 –> 00:16:43,340 nature, I’m observed by self, by nature, I’m 220 00:16:43,359 –> 00:16:46,960 drawn to sin, by nature, I want to be my own 221 00:16:47,000 –> 00:16:50,039 God, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. By 222 00:16:50,059 –> 00:16:54,080 nature, I therefore am under the wrath of God. 223 00:16:54,299 –> 00:16:56,840 This is what I noticed when we read from 224 00:16:56,880 –> 00:17:00,679 John chapter 3 a few moments ago. These 225 00:17:00,719 –> 00:17:03,380 marvelous words that whoever believes in 226 00:17:03,419 –> 00:17:06,119 the son of God has eternal life. But 227 00:17:06,160 –> 00:17:10,079 whoever rejects the son will not see 228 00:17:10,119 –> 00:17:17,000 life.” And then notice why, for God’s wrath 229 00:17:17,020 –> 00:17:23,260 remains on him. You see, John doesn’t say 230 00:17:23,359 –> 00:17:27,180 that if you reject Jesus, God’s wrath 231 00:17:27,219 –> 00:17:29,459 will come on you. That’s a big mistake. 232 00:17:29,500 –> 00:17:31,800 You know, people say I can’t possibly 233 00:17:31,819 –> 00:17:32,819 believe in a God who pours out wrath 234 00:17:32,859 –> 00:17:33,959 just because people didn’t happen to 235 00:17:34,000 –> 00:17:35,140 believe the right things about him. That 236 00:17:35,160 –> 00:17:38,459 that is not what the Bible is saying. 237 00:17:38,500 –> 00:17:41,540 It’s not saying that if you reject 238 00:17:41,560 –> 00:17:42,939 Jesus, God’s wrath will come on you. He 239 00:17:42,979 –> 00:17:44,939 says, if you reject Jesus, God’s wrath 240 00:17:44,979 –> 00:17:47,579 will remain on you. You see, it’s 241 00:17:47,599 –> 00:17:50,199 already there. It’s like a cloud that’s 242 00:17:50,239 –> 00:17:50,979 hanging over us, and it’s not taken away 243 00:17:51,300 –> 00:17:55,599 from us apart from Jesus. Why is it 244 00:17:55,640 –> 00:17:58,099 there? Because by nature we are 245 00:17:58,140 –> 00:18:04,439 children of wrath. Now quite candidly, 246 00:18:04,479 –> 00:18:07,079 your reaction to this difficult truth in 247 00:18:07,119 –> 00:18:09,819 the Bible will tell you whether you 248 00:18:09,859 –> 00:18:12,359 have really embraced the truth that we 249 00:18:12,380 –> 00:18:14,819 looked at last time about our sinful 250 00:18:14,859 –> 00:18:17,760 nature. It’s very simply, the reason 251 00:18:17,800 –> 00:18:20,459 that all people are liable to the wrath 252 00:18:20,479 –> 00:18:26,660 of God, God must destroy sin. The 253 00:18:26,680 –> 00:18:29,579 future hope of the new heaven and the 254 00:18:29,599 –> 00:18:31,319 new earth depends on it. 255 00:18:31,359 –> 00:18:36,199 God must destroy sin and sin is in us by 256 00:18:36,219 –> 00:18:39,199 nature. That’s the problem, that’s the 257 00:18:39,239 –> 00:18:45,239 issue, that’s the rub. As a little boy I 258 00:18:45,280 –> 00:18:49,479 remember singing in Scotland this song. 259 00:18:50,219 –> 00:18:55,180 There is a city bright, talking about 260 00:18:55,199 –> 00:18:59,459 heaven, closed are its gates to sin. 261 00:19:00,420 –> 00:19:03,780 Nothing that defiles, nothing that 262 00:19:03,819 –> 00:19:10,560 defiles can ever enter in. That means by 263 00:19:10,599 –> 00:19:14,459 nature I can’t enter in. That means that 264 00:19:14,500 –> 00:19:17,739 if I entered in by nature, if that were 265 00:19:17,959 –> 00:19:21,300 tonsured by God, which it is not, I 266 00:19:21,339 –> 00:19:23,260 defile the very place that God is 267 00:19:23,300 –> 00:19:26,880 creating. That is why it cannot 268 00:19:26,900 –> 00:19:29,500 happen. So the first thing that we 269 00:19:29,540 –> 00:19:31,339 need to know about the wrath of God 270 00:19:31,380 –> 00:19:32,680 is that the world needs it. The 271 00:19:32,719 –> 00:19:38,160 second is that I deserve it. I 272 00:19:38,180 –> 00:19:41,680 deserve it. Apart from grace and 273 00:19:41,719 –> 00:19:45,819 mercy, apart from Jesus Christ, 274 00:19:45,859 –> 00:19:47,300 a sinner by nature would bring into 275 00:19:47,300 –> 00:19:49,359 me the ground that I built. I 276 00:19:49,400 –> 00:19:50,219 built something I can’t fetch 277 00:19:50,260 –> 00:19:52,500 because I planted the earth in 278 00:19:52,520 –> 00:19:55,000 which we live right now. Here is 279 00:19:55,040 –> 00:19:57,800 the third thing. Christ bore it. 280 00:19:57,839 –> 00:19:58,699 Three things you need to know 281 00:19:58,739 –> 00:20:00,300 about the wrath of God. The 282 00:20:00,339 –> 00:20:03,400 world needs it. I deserve it. 283 00:20:03,439 –> 00:20:06,520 Christ bore it. This goes to the 284 00:20:06,540 –> 00:20:08,119 very center of our faith. That 285 00:20:08,140 –> 00:20:09,420 is why this subject is so 286 00:20:09,439 –> 00:20:11,680 important. Why did Jesus Christ 287 00:20:11,719 –> 00:20:13,119 come into the world? The most 288 00:20:13,160 –> 00:20:14,560 important question a Christian 289 00:20:14,579 –> 00:20:16,780 could ever ask. Or any person 290 00:20:16,900 –> 00:20:18,780 would ask. Does anyone have to 291 00:20:18,800 –> 00:20:21,000 die? What was this cross that 292 00:20:21,040 –> 00:20:23,140 is at the very center of our 293 00:20:23,180 –> 00:20:24,400 worship, at the center of our 294 00:20:24,439 –> 00:20:25,739 gathering around the communion 295 00:20:25,780 –> 00:20:27,880 table today? What is this cross 296 00:20:27,920 –> 00:20:31,939 all about? What happened there? 297 00:20:31,979 –> 00:20:33,939 And why did it have to happen? 298 00:20:33,979 –> 00:20:37,160 That is the question. And the 299 00:20:37,180 –> 00:20:38,280 answer was never put more 300 00:20:38,319 –> 00:20:39,579 clearly than in the prophetic 301 00:20:39,619 –> 00:20:41,060 words of Isaiah the prophet. 302 00:20:41,099 –> 00:20:43,859 Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 5. 303 00:20:43,900 –> 00:20:44,900 Here’s what was happening at the 304 00:20:44,900 –> 00:20:49,219 cross. The punishment, the 305 00:20:49,260 –> 00:20:52,219 punishment that brought us 306 00:20:52,260 –> 00:20:56,760 peace was upon him, upon Jesus. 307 00:20:56,800 –> 00:20:58,699 Jesus, the lamb of God takes 308 00:20:58,739 –> 00:21:01,000 away the sin of the world. And 309 00:21:01,040 –> 00:21:03,380 on the cross, here’s what was 310 00:21:03,400 –> 00:21:04,780 happening. He became the 311 00:21:04,800 –> 00:21:09,380 sin-bearer. He bore sins and he 312 00:21:09,420 –> 00:21:11,939 died for sinners. He took the 313 00:21:11,979 –> 00:21:13,880 wrath that should have been 314 00:21:14,719 –> 00:21:16,959 suffering. He let enter the joy 315 00:21:17,000 –> 00:21:20,599 that was rightly his. And 316 00:21:20,640 –> 00:21:22,359 bearing sins meant that Jesus 317 00:21:22,400 –> 00:21:27,239 came under all that sin brings. 318 00:21:27,280 –> 00:21:31,979 On the cross, he absorbed the 319 00:21:32,000 –> 00:21:36,780 divine wrath. He entered into 320 00:21:36,819 –> 00:21:39,459 hell and all that it is there 321 00:21:39,479 –> 00:21:41,319 on the cross so that those who 322 00:21:42,260 –> 00:21:44,260 should never know what hell is 323 00:21:44,300 –> 00:21:48,660 like. Christ absorbed the wrath 324 00:21:48,699 –> 00:21:52,540 of God for us so that we could 325 00:21:52,579 –> 00:21:55,199 know the love of God through 326 00:21:55,239 –> 00:21:58,739 him. I want to ask this 327 00:21:58,780 –> 00:22:02,439 question. Have you taken this 328 00:22:02,479 –> 00:22:03,920 truth that’s before us today 329 00:22:04,619 –> 00:22:08,319 seriously? You say you are a 330 00:22:08,420 –> 00:22:11,520 Christian, perhaps. Have you 331 00:22:11,540 –> 00:22:15,459 taken this truth seriously. 332 00:22:17,459 –> 00:22:19,699 Christian, have you ever 333 00:22:19,800 –> 00:22:23,160 serious ly considered what it 334 00:22:23,199 –> 00:22:24,500 is that you have been saved 335 00:22:24,540 –> 00:22:28,040 from? Have you ever thought 336 00:22:28,079 –> 00:22:29,400 about what it would’ve meant 337 00:22:29,439 –> 00:22:31,699 if you had remained under the 338 00:22:31,739 –> 00:22:36,920 wrath of God? I’ve tried to do 339 00:22:36,939 –> 00:22:38,760 that again this week and 340 00:22:38,780 –> 00:22:40,760 here’s my personal reflection. 341 00:22:40,780 –> 00:22:43,119 I’ll just read it to you. It’s 342 00:22:43,160 –> 00:22:44,520 it’s true of you as much as 343 00:22:44,560 –> 00:22:48,319 it’s true of me. If it were 344 00:22:48,359 –> 00:22:49,900 not for the grace and mercy 345 00:22:49,920 –> 00:22:52,439 of God to me in Jesus Christ 346 00:22:52,459 –> 00:22:56,459 I would be facing a future in 347 00:22:56,500 –> 00:22:59,979 which I am against God and 348 00:23:00,000 –> 00:23:03,579 God is against me forever. A 349 00:23:03,599 –> 00:23:05,119 future in which I have no 350 00:23:05,140 –> 00:23:06,520 place for God and God has no 351 00:23:06,540 –> 00:23:10,119 place for me. And in that 352 00:23:10,140 –> 00:23:11,920 everlasting separation I would 353 00:23:11,959 –> 00:23:15,520 endure the continued knowing 354 00:23:15,560 –> 00:23:17,699 of an activated conscience in 355 00:23:17,719 –> 00:23:19,699 which I see the full extent of 356 00:23:19,719 –> 00:23:22,319 my own sin and the destruction 357 00:23:22,359 –> 00:23:26,040 I have brought on myself. I 358 00:23:26,060 –> 00:23:27,160 would endure the clear 359 00:23:27,199 –> 00:23:28,500 knowledge that there is a God 360 00:23:28,540 –> 00:23:31,579 of love and that I could have 361 00:23:31,599 –> 00:23:35,000 known him but through my own 362 00:23:35,119 –> 00:23:40,319 sin and through my own folly I 363 00:23:40,359 –> 00:23:41,660 chose to reject him all the 364 00:23:41,699 –> 00:23:45,939 days of my life. I would endure 365 00:23:45,959 –> 00:23:47,579 the unending regret and 366 00:23:47,599 –> 00:23:49,599 loathing of myself because of 367 00:23:49,640 –> 00:23:51,699 my own wretched choices and its 368 00:23:51,739 –> 00:23:57,079 miserable consequences. And I 369 00:23:57,119 –> 00:23:58,880 would endure the continuing 370 00:23:58,920 –> 00:24:01,280 impulse of an ongoing rebellion 371 00:24:01,339 –> 00:24:03,979 which keeps foaming up as it 372 00:24:04,000 –> 00:24:06,979 were from within from which 373 00:24:07,000 –> 00:24:09,380 there is no deliverance. You 374 00:24:09,420 –> 00:24:12,979 want to imagine what that is 375 00:24:13,020 –> 00:24:15,060 like. Think about an addict 376 00:24:15,079 –> 00:24:17,380 who keeps going back to what 377 00:24:17,420 –> 00:24:19,420 he knows is destroying his 378 00:24:19,459 –> 00:24:22,000 life. Why does he do this? 379 00:24:22,020 –> 00:24:23,420 Because the power of his 380 00:24:23,459 –> 00:24:24,800 addiction is stronger than his 381 00:24:24,819 –> 00:24:27,359 desire to be free. That is 382 00:24:27,400 –> 00:24:29,140 what it would have been like 383 00:24:29,959 –> 00:24:33,839 for me an eternity addicted to 384 00:24:33,859 –> 00:24:37,739 sin. in the company of all 385 00:24:37,780 –> 00:24:39,500 those who share the same 386 00:24:39,540 –> 00:24:43,140 addiction caught in an ongoing 387 00:24:43,180 –> 00:24:44,780 never ending destruction for 388 00:24:44,819 –> 00:24:47,040 which I would have no one to 389 00:24:47,079 –> 00:24:53,979 blame except myself. and I sit 390 00:24:54,020 –> 00:24:55,520 for just a few minutes and I 391 00:24:55,560 –> 00:24:56,660 write these thoughts in 392 00:24:56,699 –> 00:24:58,260 preparation for this message 393 00:24:58,979 –> 00:25:03,719 You’re saying, oh god. 394 00:25:04,260 –> 00:25:10,199 What you have saved me from 395 00:25:10,219 –> 00:25:11,359 You’re taking this truth 396 00:25:11,400 –> 00:25:15,040 seriously. You felt the weight 397 00:25:15,060 –> 00:25:19,199 of that within your own soul. 398 00:25:19,979 –> 00:25:21,380 and if you take it seriously, 399 00:25:21,400 –> 00:25:25,119 do you ever do you ever think 400 00:25:25,140 –> 00:25:26,619 about what it would mean for 401 00:25:26,699 –> 00:25:30,939 yourself or for your colleague 402 00:25:30,979 –> 00:25:33,040 work to endure the wrath of 403 00:25:33,079 –> 00:25:34,680 god. You see, if you do, you 404 00:25:34,719 –> 00:25:36,239 will begin to have compassion 405 00:25:36,280 –> 00:25:37,339 for that person who you might 406 00:25:37,380 –> 00:25:40,119 despise. You will begin to pray 407 00:25:40,160 –> 00:25:43,180 for that person. You will begin 408 00:25:43,219 –> 00:25:45,000 to look to god for their 409 00:25:45,020 –> 00:25:49,640 salvation. then I ask, have you 410 00:25:49,660 –> 00:25:51,640 ever really thought about then 411 00:25:51,660 –> 00:25:53,699 what it meant for the holy son 412 00:25:54,439 –> 00:25:59,660 endure this wrath on the cross 413 00:25:59,699 –> 00:26:00,640 I mean here we are about to 414 00:26:00,680 –> 00:26:02,099 come round the lord’s table 415 00:26:02,140 –> 00:26:04,739 today and you know the old 416 00:26:04,780 –> 00:26:05,839 spiritual that we often sing. 417 00:26:05,880 –> 00:26:07,540 It’s very popular but I wonder 418 00:26:07,579 –> 00:26:08,719 if we know anything about its 419 00:26:08,739 –> 00:26:12,260 meaning. Where are you there 420 00:26:12,280 –> 00:26:16,079 when they crucified my lord? 421 00:26:16,119 –> 00:26:17,359 Where you there when they 422 00:26:17,380 –> 00:26:18,719 crucified my lord. You remember 423 00:26:19,380 –> 00:26:24,380 Oh, oh, 424 00:26:28,020 –> 00:26:32,359 sometimes it causes me to 425 00:26:32,400 –> 00:26:35,400 tremble. 426 00:26:36,900 –> 00:26:42,800 have you ever trembled ever 427 00:26:42,839 –> 00:26:44,839 at the thought of what Jesus 428 00:26:44,880 –> 00:26:48,020 Christ endured for you on the 429 00:26:48,339 –> 00:26:53,959 cross bearing the wrath of 430 00:26:54,040 –> 00:27:00,500 God, His own body, in his own 431 00:27:00,579 –> 00:27:03,920 soul. the son of God stretched 432 00:27:03,979 –> 00:27:05,680 out on a cross rejected by 433 00:27:06,280 –> 00:27:11,160 earth rejected by heaven. 434 00:27:11,219 –> 00:27:13,780 plunged into the depth of hell 435 00:27:14,579 –> 00:27:22,160 This, the power of the cross 436 00:27:22,219 –> 00:27:29,300 Christ became sin for us. Took 437 00:27:29,359 –> 00:27:32,760 the blame for the wrath. We 438 00:27:32,839 –> 00:27:37,699 stand forgiven at the cross. I 439 00:27:37,780 –> 00:27:40,140 hope that makes your jaw drop 440 00:27:40,199 –> 00:27:43,579 today. You have a sense of 441 00:27:43,640 –> 00:27:47,979 forgiveness bearing shame and 442 00:27:48,040 –> 00:27:49,880 scoffing rude in my place 443 00:27:49,959 –> 00:27:52,979 condemned. He stood. He sealed 444 00:27:53,060 –> 00:27:55,959 my pardon with his blood. 445 00:27:56,020 –> 00:27:59,000 Hallelujah. What a savior. Now, 446 00:27:59,060 –> 00:28:02,239 I want simply to give three 447 00:28:02,300 –> 00:28:05,540 very practical applications of 448 00:28:05,599 –> 00:28:07,900 this truth and then we’re 449 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:09,900 through for today. How are you 450 00:28:09,979 –> 00:28:11,739 to use this truth as it bears 451 00:28:12,160 –> 00:28:14,780 voice of your soul? I want to 452 00:28:14,839 –> 00:28:17,800 encourage you today to use this 453 00:28:17,880 –> 00:28:21,339 truth often to deepen your 454 00:28:21,400 –> 00:28:24,979 grasp of Christ’s love I hope 455 00:28:25,040 –> 00:28:26,239 you’re beginning just to see 456 00:28:26,319 –> 00:28:28,719 for a moment already how 457 00:28:28,780 –> 00:28:30,479 grasping this truth in the 458 00:28:30,560 –> 00:28:32,619 light of the cross takes takes 459 00:28:32,680 –> 00:28:34,380 us right to the center of God’s 460 00:28:34,459 –> 00:28:35,900 love and gives us a bigger 461 00:28:35,959 –> 00:28:40,500 grasp of it than you ever have 462 00:28:40,780 –> 00:28:41,819 love of God ends to be an 463 00:28:41,900 –> 00:28:45,619 extraordinary enigma. No 464 00:28:45,699 –> 00:28:48,400 generation has ever been told 465 00:28:48,459 –> 00:28:50,500 God loves you as often and as 466 00:28:50,560 –> 00:28:54,400 frequently as this generation 467 00:28:54,459 –> 00:28:56,900 and at the same time. it has 468 00:28:56,979 –> 00:28:58,300 had more difficulty in 469 00:28:58,380 –> 00:28:58,540 experiencing the love of God 470 00:28:58,599 –> 00:28:59,479 than this 471 00:28:59,540 –> 00:29:05,520 generation. Why is that? and I 472 00:29:05,579 –> 00:29:06,280 that a large part of the 473 00:29:06,339 –> 00:29:08,380 answer to that, question is 474 00:29:09,140 –> 00:29:13,339 kind of instrumentalized the 475 00:29:13,400 –> 00:29:17,979 love of God. We we have lost 476 00:29:18,040 –> 00:29:19,739 touch with this Truth of God’s 477 00:29:19,800 –> 00:29:22,239 wrath and in doing so we 478 00:29:22,319 –> 00:29:28,420 have lost knowledge of God in 479 00:29:28,479 –> 00:29:31,880 his love. Tim heller has a 480 00:29:31,959 –> 00:29:33,459 very helpful illustration here 481 00:29:33,520 –> 00:29:35,060 and uh I think you will find 482 00:29:35,119 –> 00:29:37,160 this useful in just giving us 483 00:29:37,500 –> 00:29:39,900 Let me read these words to you. 484 00:29:39,979 –> 00:29:43,939 He says neglecting unpleasant 485 00:29:44,020 –> 00:29:45,920 doctrines in the historic 486 00:29:45,979 –> 00:29:48,579 christian faith will often 487 00:29:48,640 –> 00:29:50,420 bring about counterintuitive 488 00:29:50,479 –> 00:29:53,119 consequences and he uses a 489 00:29:53,180 –> 00:29:54,880 distinctive phrase. He says 490 00:29:54,959 –> 00:29:57,699 there is an ecological balance 491 00:29:57,760 –> 00:30:00,500 about scriptural truth that we 492 00:30:00,560 –> 00:30:03,859 cannot risk disturbing and then 493 00:30:04,760 –> 00:30:07,959 illustration. if an area is 494 00:30:08,040 –> 00:30:09,380 cleared of its predatory or 495 00:30:09,439 –> 00:30:12,520 undesired animals. the balance 496 00:30:12,599 –> 00:30:14,819 of the environment may be so 497 00:30:14,880 –> 00:30:17,040 upset that desirable plants and 498 00:30:17,119 –> 00:30:19,219 animals are also lost. you 499 00:30:19,280 –> 00:30:20,619 understand how this happens. 500 00:30:20,680 –> 00:30:22,780 You take away the predators and 501 00:30:22,859 –> 00:30:24,119 then some other undesirable 502 00:30:24,180 –> 00:30:25,560 animals end up multiplying in 503 00:30:25,619 –> 00:30:26,520 the next thing, the plants are 504 00:30:26,579 –> 00:30:27,780 disappearing all together and 505 00:30:27,859 –> 00:30:30,819 so forth and you’ve upset the 506 00:30:30,900 –> 00:30:32,359 ecological balance. Now, it 507 00:30:32,359 –> 00:30:36,060 leads pore way. if we avoid 508 00:30:36,119 –> 00:30:38,459 difficult or quote harsh 509 00:30:38,540 –> 00:30:39,400 doctrines within the historic 510 00:30:39,459 –> 00:30:41,839 Christian faith, we may find to 511 00:30:41,900 –> 00:30:44,640 our surprise that we have gutted 512 00:30:44,699 –> 00:30:46,680 pleasant and cherished beliefs 513 00:30:46,739 –> 00:30:49,880 also in the end, the loss of 514 00:30:49,939 –> 00:30:50,880 the doctrines of hell and 515 00:30:50,939 –> 00:30:52,380 judgement and the holiness of 516 00:30:52,439 –> 00:30:55,079 god will do irreparable damage 517 00:30:55,140 –> 00:30:56,579 to our deepest comforts and 518 00:30:56,660 –> 00:30:58,780 particularly our understanding 519 00:30:58,859 –> 00:31:02,219 of god’s grace and love. In 520 00:31:02,920 –> 00:31:04,880 fact, if you reject the 521 00:31:04,959 –> 00:31:05,880 doctrine of the wrath of god, 522 00:31:05,959 –> 00:31:07,660 don’t expect ever to have very 523 00:31:07,719 –> 00:31:10,520 deep experience of Islam, you’ll 524 00:31:10,599 –> 00:31:13,199 live at the level of 525 00:31:13,260 –> 00:31:14,400 sentimentality and 526 00:31:14,459 –> 00:31:15,920 sentimentality will not bring 527 00:31:16,000 –> 00:31:18,339 yo to the place of feeling 528 00:31:18,400 –> 00:31:20,160 with all that god truly loves 529 00:31:20,239 –> 00:31:23,060 you but friend when you grasp 530 00:31:23,140 –> 00:31:26,099 the truth in this scripture 531 00:31:26,180 –> 00:31:29,839 about the divine wrath then in 532 00:31:29,900 –> 00:31:31,579 the light of the cross you will 533 00:31:32,119 –> 00:31:34,979 begin to see the extent of the 534 00:31:35,040 –> 00:31:38,219 divine love. When your eyes are 535 00:31:38,280 –> 00:31:40,619 open to what was happening at 536 00:31:40,680 –> 00:31:42,060 the cross, you will begin to 537 00:31:42,119 –> 00:31:44,020 see how this was an outpouring 538 00:31:44,079 –> 00:31:46,859 of the love of god inexplicable 539 00:31:46,920 –> 00:31:48,359 outpouring of the love of god 540 00:31:48,420 –> 00:31:52,060 and it was for you This truth 541 00:31:52,160 –> 00:31:54,239 of the divine wrath tells you 542 00:31:54,300 –> 00:31:55,660 just what you have been saved 543 00:31:55,739 –> 00:31:57,660 from and it tells you just what 544 00:31:58,319 –> 00:32:01,680 you have been saved When you 545 00:32:01,760 –> 00:32:02,699 view the divine wrath being 546 00:32:02,760 –> 00:32:06,020 poured out on the divine person 547 00:32:06,099 –> 00:32:08,800 at the cross. God absorbing the 548 00:32:08,859 –> 00:32:13,760 wrath of god. You will know 549 00:32:13,839 –> 00:32:17,939 that god loves you. You will 550 00:32:18,000 –> 00:32:20,199 begin to say with awe and with 551 00:32:20,280 –> 00:32:23,520 trembling. The son of god 552 00:32:23,579 –> 00:32:26,040 endured 553 00:32:28,079 –> 00:32:34,459 all I am surely loved. do you 554 00:32:34,520 –> 00:32:37,459 see that? 555 00:32:38,160 –> 00:32:40,640 Grasp this and your soul will 556 00:32:40,699 –> 00:32:45,979 begin to sing Love. so amazing. 557 00:32:46,040 –> 00:32:49,619 so divine. shall have my soul 558 00:32:49,680 –> 00:32:54,140 and my life and my own. and 559 00:32:54,219 –> 00:32:56,079 folks, this is of huge 560 00:32:56,900 –> 00:32:59,900 God’s wrath shows how much God 561 00:32:59,979 –> 00:33:02,040 hates you. Can you begin to 562 00:33:02,099 –> 00:33:05,040 look at it through the cross 563 00:33:05,119 –> 00:33:08,319 and even begin to see that it 564 00:33:08,380 –> 00:33:11,959 shows how much God loves you. 565 00:33:12,020 –> 00:33:13,479 Maybe this is the truth that 566 00:33:13,560 –> 00:33:14,660 has caused you to hate God and 567 00:33:14,719 –> 00:33:16,020 fight against him and to rebel 568 00:33:16,099 –> 00:33:17,199 against it. Could it be that 569 00:33:17,260 –> 00:33:18,859 coming to the cross and looking 570 00:33:18,920 –> 00:33:19,859 at this through the cross. This 571 00:33:19,920 –> 00:33:23,459 could be the very place where 572 00:33:23,540 –> 00:33:24,339 to love God because for the 573 00:33:24,599 –> 00:33:28,239 joy of his love for you. I urge 574 00:33:28,300 –> 00:33:30,939 you to use the truth. Don’t 575 00:33:31,000 –> 00:33:36,099 jettison. Use This truth to 576 00:33:36,180 –> 00:33:39,619 deepen your own knowledge, 577 00:33:39,680 –> 00:33:41,420 sense of the love of God for 578 00:33:41,479 –> 00:33:43,920 you in Jesus Christ poured out 579 00:33:43,979 –> 00:33:48,780 at the cross. Second 580 00:33:48,859 –> 00:33:49,979 applications for all of us 581 00:33:50,060 –> 00:33:51,420 together it’s for the church 582 00:33:51,880 –> 00:33:55,420 for ourselves, for our church, 583 00:33:55,479 –> 00:33:58,180 for every church and it’s 584 00:33:58,260 –> 00:33:59,959 simply this. Please use this 585 00:34:00,020 –> 00:34:01,219 truth and let us keep this 586 00:34:01,300 –> 00:34:02,900 front and center in everything 587 00:34:02,959 –> 00:34:03,760 that lies ahead in our 588 00:34:03,819 –> 00:34:06,099 ministry in the coming years. 589 00:34:06,160 –> 00:34:08,100 Use this truth to focus our 590 00:34:08,159 –> 00:34:13,040 mission on the gospel and 591 00:34:13,100 –> 00:34:15,199 here’s the point very simply 592 00:34:15,260 –> 00:34:18,479 if there was no hell The best 593 00:34:18,540 –> 00:34:20,280 thing we could do as a church 594 00:34:20,699 –> 00:34:24,100 is to walk in this place. but 595 00:34:24,179 –> 00:34:26,600 if you believe what the Bible 596 00:34:26,679 –> 00:34:29,639 says here. there is no comfort 597 00:34:29,719 –> 00:34:31,120 in this world that can soften 598 00:34:31,179 –> 00:34:35,179 The awful reality of divine 599 00:34:35,260 –> 00:34:37,419 wrath in the next a Fernando 600 00:34:37,479 –> 00:34:39,080 put it so powerfully in his 601 00:34:39,159 –> 00:34:41,500 message from this pulpit last 602 00:34:41,560 –> 00:34:45,219 week. He said, lost is the 603 00:34:45,300 –> 00:34:48,100 greatest tragedy in the world 604 00:34:48,739 –> 00:34:51,760 because all other tragedies 605 00:34:51,820 –> 00:34:56,459 are temporal but is an eternal 606 00:34:56,540 –> 00:34:58,459 tragedy. That’s why it’s 607 00:34:58,540 –> 00:35:00,540 unlike anything else. It’s in 608 00:35:00,600 –> 00:35:04,540 a different category. It’s the 609 00:35:04,600 –> 00:35:06,580 biggest problem. John Piper 610 00:35:06,639 –> 00:35:07,939 puts it another way. making 611 00:35:08,020 –> 00:35:09,639 the same point as Christians. 612 00:35:09,719 –> 00:35:11,580 he says we are concerned to 613 00:35:11,639 –> 00:35:13,260 alleviate all human suffering 614 00:35:13,320 –> 00:35:17,020 and especially eternal 615 00:35:17,780 –> 00:35:22,219 suffering. Eternal suffering. 616 00:35:22,280 –> 00:35:24,020 There are many needs in the 617 00:35:24,080 –> 00:35:26,179 world. but no human being 618 00:35:26,260 –> 00:35:29,020 alive today has a greater need 619 00:35:29,100 –> 00:35:31,300 than to find deliverance from 620 00:35:31,360 –> 00:35:32,860 the divine wrath through the 621 00:35:32,919 –> 00:35:34,959 divine love that is poured out 622 00:35:35,040 –> 00:35:37,040 by Jesus Christ at the cross. 623 00:35:37,100 –> 00:35:41,040 that is the gospel and our 624 00:35:41,100 –> 00:35:45,280 mission is to bring the gospel 625 00:35:45,600 –> 00:35:50,340 to ourselves. So, use this 626 00:35:50,399 –> 00:35:52,379 truth. Use this truth so that 627 00:35:52,439 –> 00:35:54,139 we will always focus our 628 00:35:54,219 –> 00:35:55,580 mission on the gospel and 629 00:35:55,639 –> 00:35:57,719 here’s the very last thing and 630 00:35:57,780 –> 00:35:59,260 I want to speak now to to 631 00:35:59,320 –> 00:36:00,879 someone who may not yet have 632 00:36:00,939 –> 00:36:03,179 made a closed commitment to 633 00:36:03,260 –> 00:36:05,360 Jesus Christ. You’ve not yet 634 00:36:05,419 –> 00:36:07,399 sealed faith in him. You’re 635 00:36:07,459 –> 00:36:08,419 not yet committed as a 636 00:36:08,500 –> 00:36:09,919 follower of Jesus Christ and 637 00:36:10,000 –> 00:36:11,360 this is what I want to say to 638 00:36:11,439 –> 00:36:13,439 you in the last moment in this 639 00:36:13,760 –> 00:36:16,439 truth, this truth Use this 640 00:36:16,500 –> 00:36:18,000 truth to overcome all the 641 00:36:18,060 –> 00:36:20,139 barriers that keep you from 642 00:36:20,199 –> 00:36:23,139 Jesus Christ. There are so 643 00:36:23,199 –> 00:36:24,500 many barriers. There are so 644 00:36:24,580 –> 00:36:25,899 many reasons that you could 645 00:36:25,979 –> 00:36:27,580 put up even today as to why 646 00:36:27,639 –> 00:36:28,479 you should not come to Jesus 647 00:36:28,540 –> 00:36:29,239 Christ, why you would not 648 00:36:29,320 –> 00:36:30,919 become a follower of Jesus 649 00:36:30,979 –> 00:36:32,219 Christ, why you would hold 650 00:36:32,280 –> 00:36:33,320 back, why you would delay a 651 00:36:33,379 –> 00:36:35,760 decision. There are always a 652 00:36:35,820 –> 00:36:37,719 100 reasons that a person 653 00:36:37,780 –> 00:36:38,979 could come up with but I 654 00:36:39,060 –> 00:36:42,219 urge you in the light of this 655 00:36:42,500 –> 00:36:44,280 one, I urge you to begin a 656 00:36:44,340 –> 00:36:45,879 journey of faith and 657 00:36:45,939 –> 00:36:48,219 repentance with Jesus Christ 658 00:36:48,280 –> 00:36:51,080 today and I urge you that to 659 00:36:51,159 –> 00:36:52,419 do for these 2 reasons. 660 00:36:52,479 –> 00:36:56,260 First, because of your need 661 00:36:56,320 –> 00:36:57,560 sin puts us all in a 662 00:36:57,620 –> 00:36:59,399 desperate position before 663 00:36:59,459 –> 00:37:00,860 god. You are in that 664 00:37:00,919 –> 00:37:01,500 position. If you have not 665 00:37:01,560 –> 00:37:02,500 yet closed with Jesus 666 00:37:02,560 –> 00:37:04,399 Christ like the rest, you 667 00:37:04,459 –> 00:37:06,260 are a child of wrath. How 668 00:37:06,340 –> 00:37:07,639 are you going to endure this 669 00:37:07,699 –> 00:37:09,139 eternal Wrong? How are you 670 00:37:09,800 –> 00:37:13,500 going to endure it? And I 671 00:37:13,560 –> 00:37:15,600 urge you to come to Jesus 672 00:37:15,659 –> 00:37:16,659 Christ today. Not only 673 00:37:16,739 –> 00:37:19,540 because of your need. But I 674 00:37:20,100 –> 00:37:21,500 urge you to come to Jesus 675 00:37:21,580 –> 00:37:22,199 Christ today because of the 676 00:37:22,280 –> 00:37:26,879 extent of his love. God 677 00:37:26,939 –> 00:37:31,520 was in Christ reconciling 678 00:37:31,580 –> 00:37:36,620 the world to himself And in 679 00:37:36,719 –> 00:37:38,120 your side. God Himself 680 00:37:38,179 –> 00:37:39,060 reaches out to you and 681 00:37:39,120 –> 00:37:40,179 invites you into all the 682 00:37:40,239 –> 00:37:40,879 blessings that can be yours 683 00:37:40,939 –> 00:37:42,020 in Jesus Christ today. And 684 00:37:42,080 –> 00:37:45,919 as you think about what he 685 00:37:45,979 –> 00:37:50,179 endured in order to bring 686 00:37:50,260 –> 00:37:54,820 salvation to sinners that 687 00:37:54,899 –> 00:37:57,959 could be yours right now. 688 00:37:58,020 –> 00:37:59,260 How can you possibly 689 00:37:59,340 –> 00:38:02,439 resist love like this? 690 00:38:02,500 –> 00:38:03,500 Where else in the world do 691 00:38:03,580 –> 00:38:04,280 you even think you will 692 00:38:04,340 –> 00:38:05,679 ever see love like this? 693 00:38:05,739 –> 00:38:06,439 The love of God. You 694 00:38:06,439 –> 00:38:07,760 can never find it either. 695 00:38:07,840 –> 00:38:10,300 How can you walk away from 696 00:38:10,379 –> 00:38:15,040 love like this today? So, I 697 00:38:15,100 –> 00:38:17,719 urge you then to use this 698 00:38:17,780 –> 00:38:21,639 truth to overcome all the 699 00:38:21,719 –> 00:38:22,719 barriers that you have been 700 00:38:22,780 –> 00:38:24,280 putting up that hold you 701 00:38:24,360 –> 00:38:25,719 back from coming to faith 702 00:38:25,780 –> 00:38:27,379 in Jesus Christ and 703 00:38:27,459 –> 00:38:28,520 beginning that journey of 704 00:38:28,580 –> 00:38:32,919 faith and repentance with 705 00:38:33,139 –> 00:38:39,060 salvation. Come and weep. 706 00:38:39,120 –> 00:38:41,280 Come and mourn for your sins 707 00:38:41,360 –> 00:38:45,899 that pierced him there. So 708 00:38:45,959 –> 00:38:46,899 much deeper than the wounds 709 00:38:46,959 –> 00:38:51,459 of Thorn and Nail. All our 710 00:38:51,540 –> 00:38:56,260 pride, all our greed, all our 711 00:38:56,340 –> 00:38:59,899 fallen us in shame. and the 712 00:39:00,520 –> 00:39:07,399 God who made the punishment on 713 00:39:08,500 –> 00:39:16,679 We worship at your feet. and 714 00:39:18,540 –> 00:39:20,419 mercy. meet. and a guilty 715 00:39:20,479 –> 00:39:26,419 world is washed by love’s pure 716 00:39:26,419 –> 00:39:37,280 deep wounds of love. Cry out 717 00:39:56,419 –> 00:40:04,219 to embrace by Faith all that can 718 00:40:04,219 –> 00:40:09,260 be ours. In Christ crucified 719 00:40:09,260 –> 00:40:13,399 and risen for us. Here’s. And 720 00:40:13,399 –> 00:40:16,699 help us. In Jesus name.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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