Is a Good God Capable of Wrath and Judgement?

As we talked about our good good father as we experience that and I just think about what that means that they got is a good father. There's a thing that that it comes up and that's this idea of God being a god of wrath and and we have sometimes I don't know if you're like me but we have sometimes a hard time of thing about God is being raffle and got his being good at the same time. And this is exactly where is we're looking at that the latter half of a verse or chapter 1 of The Book of Romans and looking into the the beginning of that the second chapter of Romans. This is where Paul has a spokesman our attention and so we're going to talk about that. Last week, how is he was preaching up your did share a little bit about the wrath of God, and we're going to dig into that a little bit deeper today. And so if you're thinking that sounds like it's not a wonderful topic. There's a there's a degree to which you're right. It's hard to talk about the wrath of God sometimes and yet it's a necessary and sexually good thing when we pray and we'll get into this message. Father we do. Thank you for the opportunity to open up your Bible. We thank you that you have spoken to us through it. I thank you that we get to consider who you are in all of your glory. I'd ask that you would speak to us through your spirit and through your word and I said we might understand that more fully just your magnificence and incredible thing at Incredible Gift that we have in our lord Jesus. I'd ask this in his name. Amen.

Hopefully this will work yet. There we go. Show some of you are familiar with mythology Greek mythology. I don't know if we got any Greek mythology fans. But but one of the themes that runs through Greek mythology is this idea of the wrathful god and it's super arbitrary in Greek mythology. We should probably expect that because it's really it's a throw together of of human ideas made into stories that try to make sense of the universe. You may have heard the story of Prometheus who gives fire to Mankind and then so he is condemned by Zeus to to suffer eternal torment where there's a bird that comes down in tax him everyday and that's his lot for the rest of Eternity because he helped out humankind you may be familiar with the story of Sisyphus who is this guy is a human being that is actually able to trick the gods and when they figure out that he's he's trick them he is condemned to roll this giant Stone up a hill and right before he died. The top what happens? It rolls back down and then you got to do the same thing over and over and over again. And so that's his punishment. That's the Wrath of the Gods on him. You may not be familiar this door. I was and I just kind of did a little search for a raffle stories and mythology. I heard about this lady named Ayo, who is just an ordinary person actually seemed like a pretty pretty good lady. She was beautiful and so Zeus took a liking to her and so he said, well, I'm going to seduce her and she resist him for a while. And then finally he or she finally gives in to him. And in order to hide her from hero who is Zeus's wife Zeus turns into a white towel. And how's that for? Good luck, huh? So she's now a white cow. So here I figured this out. So she sends stinging flies to chase Rio wherever she goes for for forever. So eventually that kind of gets worked out. But again, we see this this kind of arbitrary Wrath of the Gods. He's powerful beings that that do these things to people Really? No good reason and then the last story we've got here to kind of think about is this kind and acteon who is just out hunting and he happens on this little pool out in the forest and who happens to be there. But if the god Artemis to is baiting and he's not trying to do anything. He's not sneaking to look for anything. You just kind of walked on your 12 and and because he saw her while she was bathing she condemns him to be turned into a stag. And so this picture shows him growing horns. He gets turned into a deer and his hunting dogs attacked him and going that we have of the wrath of God as we can. Consider what happens when at Mighty Beanz are able to exercise the there their anger on human beings. And of course, those are all made up stories, but behind all these made up stories. There's this reality that impacts all of us if there really is a god out there. Any really is all-powerful what if he gets mad at me? That might be a bad thing. Right? And so there's a reality that we all think through as Christians. What if I've done something really really wrong and the Bible is not silent on this at all at talks very clearly about the wrath of God. And so we're going to read through that a little bit here as we go through Romans as starting at Verse 18 to chapter one. If you've got your Bible there at encourage you to follow along. If not, it'll be on the screen here as well and naiah and that's what I'll read from 18 of chapter one for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and write and unrighteousness in men who buy their and righteousness suppress the truth and we talked about this somewhat last week, but it's key to to put in contacts that Paul is talking about there's this wrath from God that is against those are unrighteous and that's really what all this whole section is talking about for what can be known about God is playing to them. Because God has shown it to them for his invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature had been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so they are without excuse for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish Hearts were darkened claiming to be wise they became fools and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the loss of their hearts doing Purity did the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. I'm in for this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions for their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to Nature and then likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another man committing Shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness evil covetousness. Malice. They're full of Envy murder stripe deceit maliciousness their gossip slanderers haters of God insolent hottie boastful inventors of evil disobedient to parents foolish faithless heartless ruthless, do they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die. They not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them. Pause here for just a second show Paul starts off saying hate God's Wrath comes on those who are unrighteous and and people are in racist because although God is evident in creation. They choose to ignore him. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. And so they do all this bad bad stuff. And if you're like me, you have a tendency to read through this and say yeah, that's what they do. Right, but Paul won't let us get away with that. God won't let us get away with that. If we continue reading into chapter 2, it says therefore you have no excuse. Oh man, everyone of you who judges for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself because you the judge practice the very same thing. We know that the Judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things do you suppose? Oh man you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself that you will escape the judgement of God. Paul will not let us say hey those people do these things and therefore they should be condemned the Bible hear God here is telling us. Hey you who recognized with this stuff is wrong. Don't you do the very same things and the answer is yes. Okay. And so he goes on do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that God's kindness is mentally you to repentance but because of your hardened impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of Wrath when God's righteous judgement will be revealed. He will run into each one according to his work did those who buy patients in well-doing see for Glory and Honor and immortality. He will give you eternal life, but those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness there will be wrath and fury there will be tribulation in distress for every human being who does evil. Did you first and also the Greek but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good the Jew first and also the Greek for God shows no partiality.

So we have in this passage so many things that we could dig in too deeply but the overriding theme of God's Wrath and God's God's Fury brings up a question. I think it is super important for us to dig into a little bit and that's the idea that can a good God for whom we say, you're a good good father. Can he also be a god of rap? Does that work? And if it does how and if it does where does that leave me but it kind of dig into that idea. I want to look at these three things from this passage first. What's God's Wrath all about second is God's Wrath relief are and who experiences God's rat if we ask a question, what's God's Wrath about? Most simply God's Wrath is a necessary outcome of Judgment at we can't get away from the fact that when you judge if something doesn't meet the standard that you're judging by it's a bad thing Paul talked about this and verse 18. He's chapter 1 verse 18 He talks about D unrighteousness that God's raft comes again and verses 18 to 25 to go to this very clear explanation that people suppress the truth. They walk away from what is obvious and that is part of the reason why God's Wrath is it brought against them versus 29 to 31, which will look at it some more detail in just a minute or is this list of bad bad stuff the things that would deserve judgment and if we were to read on a little bit further we didn't just for 4 time, but if we read on to it verse 24. Chapter 2, you would see that part of what happens is when we as followers of God as nominal followers of Anyway to claim to follow him and then do the wrong things that God himself is blasphemed. So there's all these things that happen that deserve judgment and wrath is a necessary part of that judgment. God has to judge if he is good it if you can imagine a world where God was not a judge your imagine in the world where Hitler and Mother Teresa are an equal footing and that just kind of naturally we go there's no way that's because we all acknowledge that judgment needs to be made some of you have probably seen recently in the news. There's a guy named. Sorry. This was a while back a guy named Jeffrey Wenger in 2017. He actually punched a guy on national TV, right and so he was seen punching this guy on national TV. He was arrested he was charged. He went before a jury of his peers. They watch the video. They said yes, you definitely did it and so as punishment for punching this guy you're fine is $1 and no jail time. So why did this happen while there's a back story about why everybody thought they got it got punched deserved it. But here's what I want you to think about if I have judgment and there is nothing behind the Judgment. Judgment doesn't mean anything when we consider the wrath of God were considering the fact that if there really are bad things then God has to do something about it. If he is good. Sometimes we run into this question in our own brain. Sometimes you run into this question from other people. How can I believe in a God who would condemn people right that there is a natural question to ask a little older you recognize this guy David a 1995 the fellow in Orange Timothy McVeigh drove a truck up in front of the Alfred P Murrah building in Oklahoma City and it was filled with literally thousands of pounds of explosive. He walked away from it and detonated it 168 people died, including 19. Did get rid of daycare there was like six hundred and eighty people that were injured. It was a horrendous for riffic ACT do Timothy McVeigh. Imagine what would have happened if he had come to trial and the judge had said this is what you're accused of and he said I understand judge but I am so sorry for what I did. I realize that what I did was wrong and the judge said. Oh well since we see the mister McVeigh so remorseful, we're just going to let him off. August Virgo, you can't do that or what is Timothy McVeigh had come in and said, you know what I've spent the last six months in jail waiting for this this trial and I saved the guy using CPR and I led 500 Bible studies and and I swept the floors everyday and it was really kind of my my jailers everything. I've done so much good stuff. And the judge said I was since you did all that good stuff. We'll just ignore the 19 children that you killed right? We would say that is absolutely unjust. And so when we asked a question, how can God condemn people the answer is that a good guy can condemn people who have really done wrong and that's exactly what we want to see in real life and exactly what we see and God himself. Everyone wants to see Justice. It's a natural human saying it's part of the image of God in us, I believe is that we had we seek after Justice and if we want a God who is not wrathful. We are asking for a God who is Yes, but just because God is wrathful doesn't mean he's necessarily just wait. We've all seen circumstances where judgment is not good. Okay, so some of you will recognize this gentleman as well. Ayo, Jay Simpson on national TV that one of those probably the most publicized trials ever in a large number of people thought when he was going through the crowd, man. He is so guilty. And then when he was acquitted people said, oh my gosh, how did he get off? And then he he was subsequently found guilty in a Civil Trial and that we was at yessi. We knew he was guilty and yet he got off. And in this first trial I do we know for sure whether he was guilty and no but the preponderance of the evidence for most people was hey, it looks like he just got off with killing his wife and that's bad judgment, right? You probably don't know this guy. This guy's name is Jason Kendrick last November. He had his sentence vacated after serving 25 years in prison because DNA evidence conclusively proved that when he went to jail 25 years ago. He was absolutely innocent. 3 spent 25 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit that. He said he did not commit and they finally were able to prove that. He did not commit that crime and so here's an example of where judgment and wrath comes upon a person that never should have and show its legitimate for us to ask is if if God's Wrath is going to be good. Is it fair? Is he a good Jet? And of course the answer is yes God's judgment is good. But let's think about a little bit about why we can say that other than just because they were Christians we have to say that right there. One of the things is that God knows everything there is nothing that will happen that he doesn't know about there's nothing that has happened but it doesn't know about there no blind spots. You can't go hide in the corner and do something without him know about you can't even think anything without him being aware of that do when God exercises judgment. She has all of the facts not all the opinions all of And so we can have confidence that God when he exercises judgment. He's doing it for good reason. Not only that but he's the one who invented logic and rationality and so when he decides this is good or this is bad or this is right of this is wrong. He is using perfect judgment knows everything perfectly analyzes. Everything show is so God is able to make the right judgment and decide who really deserves rat. This passage. We just looked about talks about his net how his judgment is based on what we do. If you look at chapter 2 in versus 6 to 10, he says he will render to each one according to his Works to those who buy patients in well-doing cifra glory and honor and immortality. He will give you eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, they will be wrath and fury there will be tribulation in distress for every human being who does evil that you for first and also the Greek but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good that you first and also the Greek God does not bases judgment on anything other than what we have learned. So when we say is God fair or good to be a wrathful God we can say with confidence. Yes, because he is basing his decisions on what we've actually done it. If you seen that the movie Minority Report fits this this sci-fi thing where people look into the future and try to figure out what somebody's going to do and then arrest them before they do it best to worst, you know, you're sitting here and I'll send somebody shows up and says, oh you arrested for murder like what I do know yet that God does not do that. He says I am going to judge based off of what you do. This is what Paul stone is here is that judgment comes from what you've actually done done and it's 11 says that God shows no partiality know God doesn't come up to the person that is wearing the right team sweatshirt and say, well I'm going to let you off and if you're wearing the wrong teams. He's going to Sam's I condemn you he doesn't come up to the rich person say you're condemned because you're rich and because I want to but this poor person over here. I'm going to let off the hook. Just cuz I feel like it there's no partiality between him and all he doesn't forgive men more than women women more than men. He doesn't care about her skin color. He doesn't care about anything except for what we've actually done because he is perfectly fit. The only asked the question is God's Wrath Fair. Yes, he knows everything he has perfect Insight perfect analysis. He is able to look at exactly what we've done and judge exactly what we've done without partiality.

So that brings up an important question. Okay, who gets to experience God's Wrath?

Everyone who does wrong is what we're told In this passage is the one who gets to experience God's Wrath. So that could be of some concern to some of us is as in versus 6 to 10 the part that I just read that if you haven't done evil, you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. But if you have done evil, you should frankly be terrified. Because the one who has the most power the one who has absolutely clear judgment says if you have done wrong that there is wrath and fury that is being stored up for you for you because you have chosen to do what you ought not to do. So when we consider that sometimes we haven't NC to kind of walk through God because it is true to say that that God is a god of love. It is true to look at Jesus and say look what God has done for us. And so we can go through life thinking you know what he's just going to let me off if I've done something wrong. If I've done something evil 8 he's just going to a kind of ignore it because that's kind of the God that he is and yet it says in verse 8 Excuse me. Sorry first three of chapter 2. Do you suppose do man you who judge those who practice such thing as you do them yourself that you will escape the judgement of God. So if God is good and in his wrath is part of his goodness and his wrath only comes on those who have done wrong. It makes sense for us to ask the question. Where do we sit with God? I have a task for you. And then if you wanted to come to church and take a test, but I've got a test for you and we're going to be doing the test from this passage of Romans. So if you look at verse 29, and I'll read through their here's your test and you don't have to actually raise your hand or anything like that just do it up here. But this is what it says in the 2nd part 2 verse 29 Have you been full of envy? Have you ever murdered? Have you ever been full of strife if you cause disorder and Chaos have you ever deceived anybody? Do you still know sometimes to see if people have you ever been malicious like wanting? What's not good for some other human being in front of you. Have you ever gossiped? Have you ever said things about others that are not true? Have you ever hated God? Have you been insolent spoken in a way that is disrespectful. Have you ever been haughty or boastful has your pride ever come to the surface? Have you ever thought of doing things that are evil invented ways to get away with stuff Have you ever been disobedient to your parents? Have you ever been foolish Miss refers to a moral foolishness we ever done anything that is morally just doesn't make sense. Have you ever lacked Faith? Have you ever had circumstances where your heart was not for others. Have you ever been ruthless? If you have done any of these things then this test is not going well for you. And if we look at verse 1, have you ever sat in judgment on others for doing these things, you know, there's this whole section in the middle of what we just read about people men and women exchanging natural relations to unnatural relations in and that's a Hot Topic in our society and there's a Hot Topic within the church and there's an opportunity there that we're not going to dig into there to talk about why it's wrong to engage in those types of relationships. Part of what we do when we do that is we say look at them. And when we get into chapter 2 God is saying no look at yourself. Cuz even as you judge that type of immorality you're doing that kind of morality yourself, whether it's up here or actually physically or whatever but you're guilty of that too. And it's not right now you were at some point. So we take this test. and when we asked who experiences God's Wrath if that's Is everybody in this room? It's everybody that you know answering this question can a good God be a god of wrath? The answer is absolutely he's got to be a god of wrath because people do stuff wrong. There's evil. We like it when Hitler gets punished God has to be a god of wrath and yet if we take that to its logical conclusion to the place where the Bible says we are subject to that rap as well. And there's a part of me that wanted to end this message right here to say guess what you're all going to hell and walk off the stage. Okay, and there's a reason that that part of me wanted to do that is because it is absolutely essential if we want to understand what it means to have a savior. We need to understand that we genuinely need to be saved but I'm not going to do that cuz that would be wrong and I love you, but I do want to sit for just a second and I want you to think about the fact that if we lay all your cards on the table just as if I lay all my cards on the table I get condemned you get condemned because we serve a perfectly good God who knows all those things that we have done. That is a problem and let's pray about that for just a second. Thought I'd ask her right now that your spirit would convict us of how wrong we can be God. I'd ask that you would not allow us to sit focused on the things that we do right but that we would be able to see healthily with your perspective that the gross number of things that we've done wrong to the ways that we have put ourselves in front of others the way that the ways that we have denied. You got a task your spirit at 2 in us right now Invictus of that wrongdoing of of that the ways in which we have fallen short and rather God then us being deceived into thinking that you have to be somehow less raffle than you are God. I'd ask you to let us just sit for a minute and understand how we have learned your rat because we do things which are wrong. God I asked for that in Jesus name. Amen.

So as I asked for that as I asked God to convictus, I hope you're feeling that conviction. But there's a another chapter the story and it's not where Paul goes right where we're at, but we have to go there because it's super important and that's this guy somehow. I think my thing just put me one more would you done? The devil get in technology.

Guide to pay for all of the Wrath that you and I deserve and that is such an important thing for us to grab hold of and I am not going to get into to gross detail with this we just talked about this is their main subject 2 weeks ago. We will continue to talk about this as as Paul digs into this further down in Romans, but I want you to understand right now that when the price went up on the cross when he had nail stuck in his hands and feet when he was flogged when he had a spirit check into his side all of that was part of the physical reality of Christ paying the price for us, right because they perfectly good God cannot just say hey Daniel, it's okay. I don't care about all that stuff. You you did a perfectly good God has to maintain Justice and you're my only hope when I come down to the final judgement when I stand before God and and there's an accusation of guilt love. Dance me. My only response is going to be yes guilty as charged and when I said yes guilty as charged Jesus is going to say father. He's mine. I paid the price for him. So he doesn't have to pay that price. That is an absolutely amazing concept and when we look at the wrath of God, which is so terrifying to us and we realized that Christ stepped in to say I will take that upon myself. So my people do not have to that is a massive massive gift and that's why we can say that this wrathful God is good cuz he is not only Justin that he punishes that which is evil, but he has in his grace and mercy offered a free gift to us that we would be willing to put our faith in Jesus and that he would pay the price that we all deserve and that's where Paul is pointing us to hear. He's pointed to the fact You can't walk away from the fact that you deserve rap, but you can grab hold of Jesus who said I will pay the price for you and I will give you eternal life if you know that if you already believe that if you've already put your faith in Jesus. Praise the Lord and this is this is an opportunity to give thanks and it is also an opportunity to think about all those around you who do not know that who are still subject to that rat? I came up today to pray. And in was by myself and in the pastures off as we have the opportunity every morning every Sunday morning to pray together. Okay, and part of what was weighing on me as I sat by myself praying was that I wonder if people are not here praying with me because they don't realize that doing so sitting down before God and saying hey God make a difference in people's lives save them from the Wrath that they deserve will actually make a difference in some of you pray all the time at home. So me you couldn't make it early cuz you got family commitments and all that kind of stuff. But some of you just haven't probably grass hold of the fact that it does make a difference when we look at the wrath of God coming on those around us those we love those that are our neighbors that our willingness to engage in a spiritual battle through prayer is part of the way that they will come to this understanding that Jesus has paid the price for everybody so that we don't have to Encourage you it in whatever way God has has offered you the opportunity. I would encourage you to engage in that battle for your loved ones or friends or neighbors everybody that does not know Jesus because there's raft coming it's being stored up its holy and just and right and it is unavoidable except if you put your faith in Jesus and for those that might be sitting here that have not done that you don't really understand what that means to put your faith in Jesus or you've heard it. You haven't really made the commitment to do that when we're all done today. I'm going to be back there by that next steps table. I'd love to talk to you about it. We can go talking in private in the pastor's office if you want to but there is no greater decision that you can make them to say. Hey Jesus. I want to take that gift that you've offered. I want to take hold of that and know that I will have eternal life that I get to escape the wrath that I'm due for all the things that I've done wrong. I hope as you consider the wrath of God. You don't see an evil God. You see a good God do not only is just but who is giving us messed up as we are a way to get out from underneath that wrath wrath individual. Enjoy eternal life with him. Let's pray.