THE LOVE OF GOD…….. THE WRATH OF GOD……
John 3:16 tells us about THE LOVE OF GOD and I am able to quote John 3:16 from memory in three languages, namely in German, English and Thai. John 3:16 ‘”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'”
But when it comes to THE WRATH OF GOD I had to look up the concordance at the end of my Bible to find a verse that speaks about the wrath of God. I found Romans 1:18 where it says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,…”
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THE LOVE OF GOD
I have been thinking for a long time that we are putting too much emphasis on the love of God in our preaching – my pulpit is the world – and not enough on the wrath of God. The balance is not right. Psalm 5:5 “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: THOU HATEST ALL WORKERS OF INIQUITY.”
Today I found that confirmed when I read something written by Martyn Lloyd – Jones.
He says that for the last onehundred years we have talked and written much about the love of God. But true appreciation of God’s love has been much less evidence in spite of all that.
Why is that?
THE WRATH OF GOD
I don’t think we want to hear about the wrath of God.
People who read the Bible and listen to good Bible Teaching know about the wrath of God. I have learnt about the wrath of God before and read about the wrath again today.( Martyn Lloyd – Jones again! )
When can we really see the love of God? When can we really appreciate the wonder of the gospel? When can we really appreciate the glory of the gospel?
The GOSPEL is the “power of God” and “in the GOSPEL a righteousness from God is revealed.” (Romans 1:16,17)
We can do all that only in the light of God’s hatred of SIN!
I think Jonathan Edwards got it right when he preached his sermon “SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD.” “Their foot shall slide in due time.” – Deuteronomy 32:35.
Preached on July 8, 1741, at Enfield, Connecticut.
I have the sermon here and I think I will read the sermon!