“Since we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:9).
The Bible is clear: Deny God's wrath and deny cross.
As we ponder, once again, the death of our Savior this week, we remember that, at the cross, Jesus fully satisfied the fierce wrath of holy God toward all who put their trust in Him.
So, today, let’s look at some faith lessons about the wrath of God. After all, Jesus said it: “It is finished” (John 19:30).
# 1 - We know that all people are under God's wrath.
"Whoever does not obey the Son the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). The wrath of God does not *come* on us for rejecting Jesus. It *remains* on us for rejecting Jesus.
#2 - Grace is not amazing until you know the wrath of God.
The cross is where God's wrath met God's grace. Upon the cross, Jesus did not say, “I am finished.” He would be raised from the dead. Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” The atonement for was complete.
#3 - Our ultimate problem isn't with sin— it's with God.
Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But saved from what?
It's not just sin we need to be saved from, but from God's wrath and the Lord Himself. Only the grace of God can save from the wrath of God.
#4 - If you don't believe in God's wrath, you can never really understand God's love.
With over 600 references in the Old Testament and scores more in the New Testament, the problem is that we have a low view of the wrath of God because we have a low view of sin. One of the more loving things Jesus did was preach about hell and the wrath of God.
“Apart from God’s wrath, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die. Apart from God’s love, Jesus wouldn’t have died” (Robert Gundry).
It's only because the wrath of God was satisfied that the love of God is magnified.
#5 - How many of your friends know about “the wrath to come“? And the way Jesus saves from it?
“Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
“In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
So, we herald the message: Embrace this reconciling work, and you will never taste the wrath of God.
#6 - “But isn’t God slow to anger” some have said?
Yes, the Bible says, “The wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy “(2 Chron. 46:16). Slow to anger does not mean never. “All the promises of God find their Yes in Jesus Christ”(2 Corinthians 1:19–20). Apart from the death of Jesus, no one, from Adam to the end of the world, would be saved from the wrath of God. So, every promise of lasting good for sinners is blood-bought. Yes, in him
#7 - The lesson of God’s wrath is not to feel sorry for Jesus, but to feel sorry for your sin (Luke 23:26-31).
Let’s marinate in the 3 cries Jesus offered for US on the cross.
--Our Need: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34.)
--The Price: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46).
--Our Peace: "It is finished” (John 19:30).
It's not "hold on," -- but "know that you're being kept" (Jude 1). It's not "strive," -- but "strive to enter the rest" (Heb. 4:11). We will finish our race (1 Cor. 9:24) because Jesus finished his work (John 19:30).
#8 - Salvation is FROM God’s wrath, BY God’s grace, FOR God’s glory.
The baby in the manger came with a job description. He came to bear God's anger and die so we'd be free from God's wrath and live forever. And remember: there was no chair in the Old Testament tabernacle because the priest's work was never done. But when Jesus ascended, He "sat down" at the right hand of the Father because "It Is Finished."
