Well, here it is just a week before Christmas, and I'm writing about the wrath of God and Hell. Sorry if I am ruining your Christmas joy, but I have to continue my thoughts in conclusion of this part of "Therefore"...my latest (BOOK)
The wrath of God is
truly a forgotten doctrine, even in the evangelical church. I’ll dare say that
many have never heard a sermon on God’s wrath—that is, not a full sermon
devoted to this one topic.
The reasons for
this apparent neglect are not hard to find. Most of us would rather hear about
love and grace. I know I would rather preach about God’s grace. After all, to
speak of the wrath of God makes us appear narrow-minded, judgmental, and God
help us, fundamentalist. And on another
level, God’s wrath is difficult to comprehend, so in some ways, this is a
doctrine that is easy to overlook. The thought that nice people we know might
someday go to eternal hell is so overwhelming—and so disheartening—that we’d
much rather not think about it at all.
Many Christians feel as if they have to
apologize for this doctrine. Some think it a blemish on God’s character. Others
think that God’s wrath is inconsistent with his love. Let us then consider the
words of J. I. Packer: “The fact is that the subject of divine wrath has become
taboo in modern society, and Christians by and large have accepted the taboo
and conditioned themselves never to raise the matter” (Knowing God, p. 149).
True though these
words may be, two facts stare us in the face: The Bible says more about wrath
than about love. And, Jesus spoke more about hell than about
heaven. We may speculate as to the reasons behind those two facts, but no
amount of reasoning can change the truth. The Bible is filled with warnings
about God’s wrath and about eternal judgment. I would not be a faithful pastor
if I did not deal with this topic. God has made no secret of his wrath, and
neither should we.
Dr Steven Lawson puts this in a great way
in one of his sermons; “The Genevan Reformer John Calvin said, “Preaching is
the public exposition of Scripture by the man sent from God, in which God
Himself is present in judgment and in grace.” Faithful pulpit ministry requires
the declaration of both judgment and grace. The Word of God is a sharp,
two-edged sword that softens and hardens, comforts and afflicts, saves
and damns. The preaching of divine wrath serves as a black velvet backdrop
that causes the diamond of God’s mercy to shine brighter than ten thousand
suns. It is upon the dark canvas of divine wrath that the splendor of His
saving grace most fully radiates. Preaching the wrath of God most brilliantly
showcases His gracious mercy toward sinners. Like trumpeters on the castle
wall warning of coming disaster, preachers must proclaim the full counsel of
God. Those who stand in pulpits must preach the whole body of truth in the
Scriptures, which includes both sovereign wrath and supreme love. They cannot
pick and choose what they want to preach. Addressing the wrath of God is never
optional for a faithful preacher—it is a divine mandate.”
God
has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. Acts 17:31) That day is looming on the horizon. It gets closer and closer the more we
abandon God. Like the prophets and Apostles, and even Christ Himself, we too
must warn unbelievers of this coming dreadful day and compel them to flee to
Christ, who alone is mighty to save.
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