Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, February 4, 2001   

INTRODUCTION: There is a message that men do not want to hear. The message that they do not want to hear is that the God of love is also a God of wrath.

The phrase, "the wrath of God," is disturbing and frightening. So much so that some refuse to speak of God's indignation. We are reminded by the Scripture that Christ spoke more about hell than He did heaven. Of the twenty four times hell is preached in the New Testament, Jesus preached it twenty two times, James once, and Peter once. Some say that all of the Bible is the Gospel. Friends, the word Gospel means "good news." And what we find in verse 18 is not good news!

Much of our modern evangelism steers clear of God's wrath, emphasizing rather health, wealth, and abundant life. We must not fail to preach the condemnation of sinners who do not believe (John 3:36).

1. VERSE 18a, THE WRATH OF GOD
   1. "For" points us back to verses 16 and 17.
      
      1. The declaration of verse 16 is that the Gospel is "the power of God unto salvation."
         
         1. The only way to be saved is by believing. Believing that Christ died for sinners, was buried, and rose again.
            
         2. Man cannot save himself- he must trust Christ, not works of the law (Titus 3:5; Romans 3:20).
            
      2. Verse 17 tells us that "the power of God unto salvation" is God's righteousness for unrighteous men received by faith.
         
         1. For men to be saved, the just one, the Righteous Son of God, had to die for the unjust, or unrighteous ones (I Peter 3:18).
            
         2. Romans 5:1 tells us that we are justified, seen as righteous, in the sight of God by faith.
            
      3. The revelation of the righteousness of God is found in verse 17; and in verse 18, we have the revelation of the wrath of God.
         
         
         
   2. "The wrath of God."
      1. The wrath of God is divine wrath.
         
      2. The Greek word for "wrath" means a settled, determined indignation."
         
         1. It is God's nature to react against sin.
            
         2. God must exhibit wrath against sin or He is not God. God cannot tolerate sin.
            
         3. "Wrath against unrighteousness is as natural to the nature of God as His approval of holiness" (McBeth 48-49).
            
         4. God could not be holy without reacting against sin.
            
      3. In the ages past, we find many examples of God showing His wrath against depraved, sinful men:
         
         1. In the days of Noah, God destroyed all mankind except Noah and his family (Genesis 6:7,8, 7,21-23).
            
         2. In Genesis 19:27-29, we read that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah saving only Lot and his daughters.
            
         3. The story of Pharaoh and his army being destroyed in the Red Sea if found in Exodus 14:26-30.
            
      4. In the New Testament, the display of God's wrath is seen in these passages as well as others:
         
         1. Romans 9:22
            
         2. Ephesians 5:3-6
            
         3. Colossians 3:5-6
            
         4. I Corinthians 16:22, Those who do not love Jesus are to be eternally cursed.
            
         5. Those who love Jesus are delivered from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:10). Not only are we delivered from hell but from the tribulation as well.
            
            
2. VERSE 18b, THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED
   1. God's wrath, as we have seen, was revealed in Old and New Testament times and will continue to be revealed (the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the drowning of the Egyptian army, etc.).
      
      1. In Romans 3:5, we see that God brings His wrath on men.
         
      2. God reveals His wrath when men break His laws.
         
         1. You will reap what you sow.
            
         2. Man will never cure all diseases; he never gets away with his sinful living.
            
            
   2. God's wrath will be revealed, poured out, during the tribulation (Revelations 16:1-12).

   3. God's wrath will be revealed at the second coming of Christ (II Thessalonians 1:6-10).
      
      1. The angels who accompanied Christ's first coming brought tidings of peace and good will (Luke 2:8-14).
         
      2. The angels at His Second Coming will bring vengeance on those who obey not the Gospel (II Thessalonians 1:6-10.
         
      3. Do you believe the Gospel?
         
      
      
   4. Friends, the greatest revelation of God's wrath was the wrath that God placed upon Christ, His Son, on the cross.
      
      1. On the cross, He who knew no sin became sin for us (II Corinthians 5-21).
         
      2. Isaiah 53 tells of the burden that Christ bore - the chastisement He suffered. And all because man is sinful and God is righteous. (Isaiah 53:5-7, 10-11). On the cross, Christ who knew no sin became sin for us (II Corinthians 5:2, lsaiah 53-10).
         
         
3. VERSE 18 c, THE WRATH OF GOD FROM HEAVEN
   1. Heaven is the source of the wrath.
      
      1. The reaction of wrath against all sin is not from God alone.
         
      2. All heaven is in unity with God "against all ungodliness and unrighteousness."
         
   2. God acts with all of heaven's power in revealing His wrath upon ungodly men and women.
      
      
4. VERSE 18d, THE WRATH OF GOD AGAINST ALL SIN
   1. Notice the two words used here: "ungodliness and unrighteousness." These words do not mean the same thing.

      Ungodliness	Unrighteousness
      Exclusively religious sphere	Exclusively moral sphere
      First table of the law	The rest of the law

   2. Both words represent sin, rebellion against a holy God.
      
      1. Ungodliness- this views sin as a lack of reverence for God.
         
      2. Unrighteousness- a lack of reverence for God's holy law, for His ruler.

5. VERSE 18 e, THE WRATH OF GOD AGAINST THOSE WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH
   1. Wicked men do not like the truth, and they do not want the truth.
      
      1. Men are by nature wicked, depraved.
         
      2. Man does not naturally seek God because men love the darkness sin (John 3:19-20).

   2. The Bible says that the fool says there is no God (Psalm 14-1).

   3. Why do the liberals rage against the truth; it is because they do not like it and seek to suppress it. Because of sin, God is angry with man everyday (Psalm 7:1 1).

   4. God will judge suppression of the truth.

CONCLUSION: Yes, man is wicked, but God is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him.