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.