PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE HELPER

“Behold, God is my helper...” (Ps.54:4a).

What fools we are to think that we can figure out our perplexities and fix our problems. Sooner or later we discover that no matter how smart we are, how much money we have, how talented we are—that you may as well stand in the path of a tornado and think you can throw a lasso around it and drag it into a hole—than to overcome the enormous troubles that arise.

I humbly admit my weakness and cry to God for help—and that is where my hope is found.  I am not sharp enough to know what to do or when I know what to do I am not strong enough to do it.

The wonderful news is that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and an ever present help in time of trouble!  Whatever you are facing today—no matter the magnitude of the problem, God is your Helper, and He is more than able!

PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE SHEPHERD

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Ps.23:1).  

This is one of the most precious of portraits hanging in the gallery of God. The author, David, grew up shepherding his father’s flock. He drew from that imagery to remind us of how God cares for us. We are God’s flock.  How He loves His lambs!

We shall not want in life—The Shepherd feeds us in green pastures and leads us beside still waters, restoring our soul. The Lord always guides us on the right path, for our good and the glory of His name.

We shall not fear in death—He walks with us through that dark valley.  As we come to the end of life, the Shepherd that has faithfully been near will not abandon us then. He will bring us through!

We shall not perish in eternity—dwelling in the Lord’s house forever.  How long is that?  To be in a place of breathtaking beauty, and supremely, to be in the manifest presence of our Shepherd, safely in His fold—that is something to joyfully anticipate!

PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE SAVIOR

“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.” (Ps.68:19-20)

Of all the names of God, surely this should make us rejoice the most.  God is our Savior!  He Himself is our salvation.  He doesn’t give it apart from Himself, but it is in a personal relationship with Him that we are saved.

He calls us by His Spirit—opens our blind eyes to our need.  The Father has sent His Son to bring us salvation in Christ’s death and resurrection.

The death the psalmist refers to goes beyond salvation from physical death, but deliverance from the second death.  This second death is what we call Hell—the everlasting state of torment for the wicked. It is what I deserve and from which I can do nothing to evade. That is why I need a Savior, and what God is to me.

The old hymn states it like this:

I was sinking deep in sin,
far from the peaceful shore,
very deeply stained within,
sinking to rise no more;
but the Master of the sea
heard my despairing cry,
from the waters lifted me;
now safe am I.

Souls in danger, look above,
Jesus completely saves;
he will lift you by his love
out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea,
billows his will obey;
he your Savior wants to be -
be saved today.

Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.” (James Rowe)

PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE DEFENDER

“A...defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.” (Ps.68:5)

In that ancient world, few were more helpless than a widow.  They were often taken advantage of by the powerful.  Yet, we are reminded that God is a strong defender of even the most helpless.

Jesus described Satan as one who seeks to kill and destroy—and said he was a murderer.  If he could, the Devil would kill you on the spot—but we have a Defender far greater.  The most powerful oppressor is no match for our great Protector. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

Why should we fear?  Of whom or what should we be afraid?

PORTRAITS OF GOD: THE FATHER

“A father of the fatherless...is God in His holy habitation.” (Ps.68:5)

Jesus told us to pray, “Our Father in heaven,” which echoes the truth in this Psalm. This is the first and most familiar metaphor of the first person of the Trinity.  It is a portrait of God—a word picture that we cherish.

Good fathers—and the ideal of what they should be—are shadows of which God is the standard. Earthly fathers are imperfect—even the best of us.  The Eternal Father is the only perfect Parent.

He will never abandon us—as some Dads do—thus, the Psalmist reminds us that God is a Father to the fatherless.  God would never abuse us, as some sinful human fathers do to their children. He will correct us for our good, motivated by love,

“‘For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’

Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews‬ ‭12:6, 9‬)

Even good human fathers are limited in what they can do, but not our Heavenly Father.  A father may desire to do something for his child and be without the capacity, yet Father God has infinite power and provision.

I know I love my children, and yet the love of God is supreme—and He loves each of you!  Multiply the love of a good father exponentially and you will be describing the boundless love of God our Father.

You may only truthfully call God your Father if you have been born into His family. That relationship comes through giving your life to Jesus Christ—faith that receives the grace He has to save you.  Can you call God your Father today?

PORTRAITS OF GOD

“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5)

A picture is worth a thousand words.  That’s the old saying—and it’s true.  There is something about a visual image that connects with our brain more quickly and clearly than words.  We have employed many words about God during the course of this series, “The God You Should Know.”  We have considered words like omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, for example—all important words—but in the end we have discovered that God is so far beyond our vocabulary.

So, the Holy Spirit has also taken His brush, and on the canvas of Scripture, has painted several portraits of God.  We will examine seven in these studies, though there are many more we might view in the Sacred Text.

The portraits of God we will contemplate are: God as Father (which we see in Psalm 68:5), Defender (also seen in this verse), Savior (found in this same Psalm), Shepherd, Helper, Rock, and Sun.  Other Psalms display the wonder of God in these ways. Join us as we travel through the Art Gallery of God!

LOVING ENEMIES

Read 2 Kings 6:8-23.

Can we be more concerned with winning souls than winning arguments?

Syrian raiders invaded Israel. The power of God, however, blinded them, and Elisha the prophet leads them to Samaria, where inside the city walls, their vision is restored, and they are surrounded by Israeli forces. The King of Israel sees the opportunity for revenge. That is the natural reaction. But, instead, Elisha extends mercy and grace.

Think about it. The Syrian soldiers were merely submitting to their sovereign. They were blinded. The spiritual man overcomes evil with good. He conquers with love. Those on the winning side reach out to the losing side, realizing they are just following Satan’s orders. They are blind to the truth and we need to pray that their eyes would be opened.

We can win people by love. That’s the way our hearts were won. Who is our war with anyway? Not with sinners.  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12).

The Syrian soldiers were given mercy and grace. It was mercy that spared them from the death they deserved, and it was grace that gave them what they did not merit—a feast and freedom!  God has done that for us!  Now, He expects us to show mercy and grace to other sinners.

We must be careful that in our stand for God and for truth, that it doesn’t sound like an attack on the people Jesus died for. Can we speak against the act of homosexuality and witness to the homosexual? Can we cry against the act of abortion and reach out to the abortionist and those who have had abortions? Can we find the balance of Jesus who told the adulterous woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more?”  That balance is seen in that Jesus was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,” (Heb.7:26), and yet was called the “friend of...sinners” (Lk.7:34).

We must never compromise Biblical convictions. Yet, this same Bible contains these words:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt.5:38-48).

RESTORED TO USEFULNESS

We seem to hear increasingly of some well-known pastor who has fallen. For those who don’t make national headlines, there are others in small churches who resign in disgrace.  Is it more rampant, or more publicized? I suspect the former.

Be that as it may—how does it happen and can such a man ever be restored to usefulness?  2 Kings 6:1-7 gives us some guidance.

Consider, THE USEFULNESS THAT IS REQUIRED.   “And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.’ So he answered, ‘Go.’ Then one said, ‘Please consent to go with your servants.’ And he answered, ‘I will go.’ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.” (v.1-4).  We need servants of God who are usable for there is much to be done. Our usefulness for God requires vision and vigor.

There was VISION (v.1-2).  They saw the need and were moved to meet it. Do you have a burden for the work of God to progress? They called upon Elisha to oversee the project (v.3-4a). Leadership is pivotal for progress to be made.

There was VIGOR (v.4b).  The vision is pursued with vigor! There comes a point when inspiration must give way to perspiration. You need a dream, but a dream isn’t enough. Daydreamers never accomplish anything.

Then, we find THE USEFULNESS THAT IS REMOVED.  “But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, ‘Alas, master! For it was borrowed.’” (v.5).  There will be no success without activity, but activity alone doesn’t insure achievement.

Ponder THE LOAN OF OUR ABILITY, “it was borrowed.”  The ability of the man to chop the tree wasn’t his own, but it was borrowed. Every now and then I’m listening to Rush Limbaugh and he says of himself, “Talent on loan from God.” Well it is. We are stewards—our gifts and abilities are on loan from God. We are going to give an account one day.

Then comes THE LOSS OF OUR ABILITY  “the iron ax head fell into the water.”  He became lax. He didn’t notice that the head of the ax was loosening. His laxity led to looseness and his looseness to loss. We can get so busy working that we stop watching. Jesus warned, “Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.” If we are so busy in the work of God that we neglect the worship of God we are headed for a fall. Little by little this leads to loose living and loose living eventually leads to lost usefulness.

Thankfully there is THE USEFULNESS THAT IS RESTORED,  “So the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, ‘Pick it up for yourself.’ So he reached out his hand and took it.” (v.6-7).

Restored usefulness requires A REPENTANT CONFESSION  (v.5b-6a).  He mourned over his loss. He confessed and acknowledged the place where it was lost. There is a godly sorrow that leads to repentance. After Peter denied Jesus, his bitter tears were the seeds of fruitful restoration. You get back on the road of righteousness where you took the devil’s detour. Where did you fall? Confess it to God with sincerity.

Then there follows A RENEWED COMMITMENT (v.6b-7). The stick causes me to think of another piece of wood—the cross. That cross is the source of our cleansing, but it is also the standard of our commitment. You must die to self to be useful for God.

We can be restored also. Where did you fall? How did it happen? Will you repent and seek God’s forgiveness? Come to the cross and you can be restored.  It might be a difference place or a different position, but you can yet make a difference IF you will do DIFFERENTLY.

THE SHOWING OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

“However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy‬ ‭1:16‬‬)

Paul was overwhelmed by the thought that God would be merciful to him.  He described the way he was in 1 Timothy 1:13,15, “although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ...This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Imagine, this great defender of the faith had once been a denier of it.  He who became an apostle had been an antagonist. Paul identified himself as the biggest sinner in the world. That’s how he felt. But God had shown him mercy and had been long-suffering with him. None in the church would have suspected what their enemy would become,  but God changed him. That’s what He does—and He transformed me too!

How much God put up with in suffering so long with me!  I did virtually everything I could to die and go to hell, but He pursued me relentlessly!  God spared me and saved me.

He is patient and merciful each day. But, even though God is slow to anger, the flood of wrath building day by day will eventually burst through. None who have not cried out for mercy will then be spared.

What do we need to do about this truth? As a sinner without Christ, I must repent.  I must cry out as the wicked tax-collector, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). As one saved by Christ, I ought rejoice.  I must proclaim with Paul that God has spared the chief of sinners!

Then, to us who have been shown mercy, we must show mercy.  We cannot expect God to give mercy to us, if we fail to grant mercy to others.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt.5:7). I ought to be able to suffer long with others like me, when a holy God has suffered long with me.  If I cannot express mercy and long-suffering, it means that I have not experienced it!

THE SUPPLY OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

David declares in Psalm 86:15 that God is “Long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”  As there is a difference between grace and mercy, there is a difference between God’s long-suffering and His mercy, too.  Mercy has pity for the sinner while long-suffering has patience with the sinner.

Long-suffering does not arise from God’s lacking ability to judge us, but in loving power to restrain that ability.  Consider, Nahum 1:3.  “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.”  Sin will eventually be judged if there is no repentance—usually delayed, though not ultimately denied.

Scripture is replete with examples.

Think of how patient God was in dealing with the first sinners, Adam and Eve—how He sought them and clothed them and though they were sentenced with death, that death was 930 years later for Adam. God endured the wickedness of the population during Noah’s day for 120 years, before sending the flood. The vile citizens of Sodom had occasion to turn to God, and Lot the opportunity to flee, because God responded to Abraham’s intercession. Pharaoh went through a season of plagues to pressure him, 10 in all, God being patient with Pharaoh’s obstinence. The iniquity of the Amorites meant Israel was enslaved for 400 years, until their “cup was full,” and God brought Israel out and then up into the land to judge the people of Canaan.  Jonah preached, “Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”  Those pagans merited judgment, but a long-suffering God gave them opportunity to repent. They did and were spared, until they backslid. Over and again, God restrained His wrath upon Israel—the repeated condition of that nation throughout its history until the present day—and still God is not through with them.

God warns and waits and works so that when people repent then He extends mercy.  How patient God has been to me!  We should all praise Him that He is long-suffering!

THE SOURCE OF MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
(Ps.86:15)

Out of the infinite fullness of a long-suffering God—from the bottomless well of His compassion and grace—flows the abundant mercy we must have.

Why would God be merciful?  Why would He be long-suffering?

You know what “long-suffering” is, don’t you?  Turn the word around—it is to suffer long with a problem or a person—and in this case God finds the problem is with the person—our sinful heart!  We are stiff-necked, stubborn, self-willed and self-absorbed.  Thankfully, Almighty God is patient with us.  He endures that we ignore Him, or worse deny Him, or even worse hate Him.

Why?  Because that is His nature.  God is love, and His love reaches out to those who merit His wrath.

Christ’s nail-scarred hand reaches out to lift us from our sin and deliver us from judgment, and what do we do?  We slap it away.  Then He reaches out again, and we jerk back.  Still, His long-suffering mercy is extended—for how long?

Not forever.  If we insist on our own way, there will come a time that even the patience of God reaches its limit and in holiness, compassion gives way to condemnation.

How does grace compare to mercy?  Think of it this way—grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—heaven—while mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve—hell.

Thank God for His mercy and long-suffering!

THE MERCY AND LONG-SUFFERING OF GOD

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15)

I heard a story about a notorious criminal who was behind bars.  His trial would begin the next day.  He asked the prison guard to summon the chaplain.  Arriving at the prison cell, the chaplain was surprised to see the man reading his Bible. The preacher commented on that and the man behind bars replied, “I’m looking for a loophole!”  The convict, then asked the chaplain to pray for him.  The preacher asked, “Do you want me to pray for justice to be done?” Horrified he yelled, “No!  Pray for mercy!  I need mercy, and not justice!”  That’s true for all of us.  Thankfully, the God of justice is also a God full of mercy and one who is long-suffering.

That is what I need.  It is what you need. It is what we may have if we will repent of our sins and seek the Lord.

MENTORS FOR MEN OF GOD

Mentor was the elderly friend and adviser of Odysseus, hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. When Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan War, he made Mentor the guardian of his son, Telemachus. From this name, we get our English term for a faithful and wise counselor. Mentoring is the process where the teacher’s life and teaching is poured into the disciple. We recognize it in the relationship of Moses and Joshua, of Elijah and Elisha in our text, of Jesus and the Twelve, and of Paul and Timothy.

Let’s consider first THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MENTORING PROCESS (2 Kings 2:1-11).  The Great Commission is about mentoring—reaching people and teaching people.

GOD HAS A SET TIME FOR HIS PEOPLE (v.1,11).  Elijah had a deadline he was going to keep. So do we. Therefore we must redeem the time and make our days count. The greatest thing we can leave behind is a heritage of faith that has been embraced by another generation.

GOD HAS A SUSTAINED TASK IN HIS PURPOSE (v.9).  God’s people come and go, but God’s purpose remains fixed. The mentor cultivates an understanding of the work to be done and develops a desire in the one mentored to continue that work. The bond between mentor and pupil is crucial (v.9-10).

Then, there is THE INTENTION OF THE MENTORING PROCESS (v.12-18).  The intent of the mentoring process is that the work continues undisrupted by the absence of the mentor.

Note THE SEVERING OF THE RELATIONSHIP (v.12).  The tearing of his garments was not only a sign of his dismay, but also a symbol of his dividing asunder from Elijah. The test of a successful mentor is whether the one mentored can stand alone.

Next we have THE SEIZING OF THE RESPONSIBILITY (v.13-15).  Elisha takes up the mantle and ministry of Elijah. An important part of that ministry was mentoring, so he will assume that role also. He will mentor the sons of the prophets. Paul told Timothy to take that which he taught him and commit it to faithful men who could teach others also (2 Tim.2:2).

We’ve seen the importance and intention of the mentoring process, and conclude with THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE MENTORING PROCESS (v.19-25).  There are profound implications when true mentoring occurs.

One of the unmistakable results is THERE WILL BE MINISTRY(v.19-22).  These people had a problem and turned to the man of God for a solution.  Anyone can spot problems, but good leaders solve problems.

THERE WILL BE AUTHORITY (v.23-25).  Those who mock God will mock us—we can expect it. But heavenly authority rests upon us. God will settle the scores.

Have you matured to the place where you can be a mentor? If not, are you being mentored so you can mature?

There is no success without a successor. God help us to become like Christ and be able to say with Paul, “Follow me in the same way I follow Christ.”

GOD IS JUST TO PUNISH THE SINNERS WITH WRATH

We are all sinners. It is the nature with which we are born and is reinforced by the rebellious choices we make in disobeying God. All of us deserve the wrath of God and He would not be unjust to condemn us all. God in His grace and mercy, however, has made provision in the cross of Christ for sinners to be saved.

Who will be condemned?  “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess.1:8)

They are “those who do not know God.”  Now, they may know about God, but do not know Him personally. Here is how Jesus described the saved, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (‭‭John‬ ‭17:3‬)

The condemned are also “those who do not obey the gospel.” The Gospel is faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that will save us.  We obey when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

Some think God will not cast sinners into hell because God is love.  But, His love means He hates sin.  Love cannot be coerced, so a loving God will not force us to love Him back.  A good judge must punish criminals or he is evil.

What is the punishment?

There will be painful tribulation, “since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,” (2 Thess.1:6). Even as they have made the people of God suffer, the wicked will reap what they have sown. The punishment fits the crime.

There will be infernal retribution, “in flaming fire,” (2 Thess.1:8a). This is hell—the Lake of Fire.  “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev.20:15‬).

There will be eternal destruction, “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,” (2 Thess.1:9). A million years later, the wicked will still be in hell, and a trillion trillion, and forever.

But, you don’t have to go there. Call upon the name of the Lord, and you will be saved (Rom.10:13).

RETRIBUTION OR REST?

“since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:6-8‬‬)

We are going to spend eternity somewhere—heaven or hell. We can receive retribution, paying the price for what we have earned as we experience the justice and wrath of God, or we can enter rest, because Christ paid the price for us in suffering the wrath and justice demanded in His death on the cross.

What is the “rest” Paul mentions here?  This is how it is described in Revelation 14:13, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.“‘ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”

This eternal rest is heaven—the everlasting home of the saints.  It is the place where we will abide in the presence of God in the fullness of His glory, where we will worship Christ and see Him face to face, where we will be united with loved ones gone before us, and where there will be no sin, no sorrow, no sickness—no more.

What a day that will be!  Give praise to God who sent His Son to die that we might live, to suffer the punishment we merit so we can have His merits by faith and enter His rest!

SAINTS SAVED FROM WRATH

The saints do not have to fear the day they stand before God, as Paul speaks of that time, “when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:10-12)

There is a difference between saints and sinners. God distinguishes between those who are delivered from wrath and those who are destined for it.  As the old song says, “Oh Lord I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in!”‬‬ So, who are the saints?  Let’s look to 2 Thessalonians 1 for answers.

They are all those in the church. Paul writes to those “in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (v.1). We are doomed if we are judged for what we do. Our deliverance is based in what Christ has done and our identification with Him and His righteousness imputed to us by faith.

The saints have experienced ”grace” and “peace” (v.2).  It is not our goodness, for we have none. It is the grace of God that brings us peace with God.

Saints are people of “faith” and “love” (v.3). If the root of salvation rests in the love of Christ and His gift received in faith, then there will be the fruit of a genuine experience with God—namely a growing faith and abounding love.

They are given grace to persevere with “patience and faith in all your tribulations that you endure,” (v.4).  We are not saved because we endure, but we endure because we are saved.

The saints have taken up the cross. “which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer” (v.5).  God makes us worthy as we die to sin and live to God.  Our sufferings at the hands of sinners are evidence of God’s righteous judgment—using evil for good in our lives now—a temporal fire of refining—and storing up wrath for the wicked who seem to get by now—an eternal fire of retribution.  The former purifies saints for heaven and the latter punishes sinners in hell.

Furthermore, saints glorify God. Twice in verses 10-12, Paul mentions Christ being “glorified” in His people. Saints have found the chief end of man, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  Therefore, we anticipate His coming in glory with delight and not dread!

I remind you that these are not qualities possessed by a select group of Christians as contrasted to your “run of the mill” bunch of believers. The saints are all those who are saved. Saints are saved sinners. Will you be in that number?

GOD IS JUST TO PRESERVE THE SAINTS FROM WRATH

The greatest mystery is not that some will be sentenced to hell, but that any are saved into heaven.  God would be just to condemn all sinners and that is what we all are.  The saints, however, will be saved.  Notice what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7:

“which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,”

These sinners who are saved have become “saints,” as the Apostle designates them in verse ten. The word means “set apart,” and suggests that those who are saved are different from others.  But, “saints” does not mean a special class of Christian, as some false teaching, especially Romanism states.  The New Testament is clear that all the saved are saints.  We are sinners set apart from other sinners.  God has set us apart in election—calling us in sovereign grace unto Himself.  We are set apart from the world and unto the Lord.

The issue is, “How can a just God justify unjust sinners without compromising His justice?  How can those deserving wrath be delivered from wrath and God maintain His righteousness?  How can those fit for hell be fitted for heaven without God sullying His holiness?”

There is only one answer. God has poured out His righteous judgment that we deserve on His Son, Who freely took upon Himself that condemnation I deserve, “to demonstrate...His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  As John Newton penned, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

THE JUSTICE AND WRATH OF GOD

“in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

What percentage of sermons yesterday focused on the wrath of God? Less than 1%? That is just a guess, of course. One thing I am confident of—there were not many.

Among books written for the church world, you will find many categories devoted to favorite authors, best sellers, family life, Bible study, spiritual growth, and such. Rightfully so. But, you are not going to find many books on the wrath of God.

If you are listening to popular Christian songs, how many even mention the wrath of God?  A few, but they are the exception.

Candidly, it is not something I enjoy thinking about. I find no pleasure in preaching on the subject. But, if I am going to be faithful to Christ and to my call, I cannot neglect the topic. Did you realize that Jesus said more about hell than He said about heaven?

Yet, most preachers shun the topic and many Christians are uncomfortable discussing it.  If we are going to have a proper understanding of God then we can’t avoid it.  So, the justice and wrath of God will be our focus in this week’s study. May God use this truth to drive us to our knees in repentance and disturb us concerning those without Christ, so that we share the Gospel with them.

THE CONTEST ON CARMEL

“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.” (1 Kings‬ ‭18:21‬)

1 person + God = a majority. God told one man, Elijah, to go on the offensive and challenge the devil’s crowd to a duel. That is the kind of faith that forges victory. Too often, God’s people have a fortress mentality. We view ourselves as outnumbered and outgunned, just hoping we can hold on. Yet, Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt.16:18). The church is to be militant and triumphant, as we storm the gates of hell!  We are meant to confront the vile values, vain philosophies, and virulent deceptions of our day.

When I was young, I recall the Ali-Frazier boxing match, “The Thrilla in Manila,’ and the Foreman-Ali bout, “The Rumble in the Jungle.”  1 Kings 18 gives us a ringside seat for “The Contest on Carmel.”

There was A CHALLENGE TO A DUEL (v.1-19). The wicked King Ahab and his demonic Queen Jezebel were in power.  The false worship of Baal permeated Israel. Here we encounter the god-fearing Obadiah, who was holding to faith in God, even while serving in the polluted palace of Ahab and Jezebel. Of course, there stands stalwart Elijah—one prophet challenging 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to a duel!  God always has a people who will stand up and speak out. Will you?

Then, there is A CALL FOR A DECISION (v.20-40). There is no place for fence-straddling. God wants us hot or cold, but not lukewarm. It nauseates Him. Elijah would repair the altar. That is the place of consecration. We need to go all in!  He would prepare the sacrifice. That is the place of expectation. We need a faith that overcomes our fear. Then followed prayer. That is the place of intercession.  An ordinary prayer can bring extraordinary results!  The response of the people was to worship God, when the fire fell!

The saga closes with A CRY FOR A DOWNPOUR (v.41-46). Elijah had prayed and the heavens were shut. He prays again and the heavens open. James tells us this, ““Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James‬ ‭5:16-18‬). Only a praying church is a powerful church. We stand strongest when we kneel weakest.

LOVE DEMANDED

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:11-16).

Those who are saved love God and love those made in His image.  Jesus summed up all the demands of God in that.

Love is about giving—of ourselves—our time, talent, and treasure.  Without this our claim is contradicted.

When I got saved, nobody had to beg me to attend worship, read God’s love letter—the Bible, converse with the Lover of my soul in prayer, tell others about Him, get busy serving Him, and give my tithes and offerings in response to His gift of love. How could I not after all God had done for me, and the love that Jesus showed?

The power of love will transform you, your church, and your community!  Nothing is more important!

LOVE DEMONSTRATED

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

Our ideas of love often involve words—saying, “I love you,” writing a love note, sending a card, or singing a love song.  God has said that He loves us, but it goes beyond words.

Often we think of love as a special feeling we have—and doubtless God has an incredible feeling of compassion towards us, but it goes beyond a feeling.

Love is an action.  God did something—and the  giving of His Son is the indescribable demonstration!  We may be tempted at times to doubt God’s love, when we face trials and tragedies, but I ask you to look at Calvary and you cannot question God’s love!

That love was not given to the deserving, but to the damnable.  He loved us when we did not love Him!

Many try to make Allah the same as Yahweh.  They are not.  Islam’s god loves those who love him.  He gives his love to those who earn it.  Christianity’s God loves all—even the infidel.

He has paid the price for our sins. That is the meaning of “propitiation.”  It declares God’s wrath that we merit has been appeased because of Christ’s death in our place.

Although God loves all people, those who are His children receive a special love.   “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John‬ ‭3:1-2‬)

LOVE DEFINED

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8).

Since the world doesn’t really know what true love is all about—what they usually call love is actually lust—we need to be sure we understand it.  There were three basic Greek words used in the first century to define love.

The first was eros—from which we get the word “erotic,” which has to do with sensual, sexual expressions of love.  While it is true that our world often engages in this kind of love in an impure and self-centered way—it is not something dirty, but was the gift of God for a husband and wife to enjoy intimacy with one another.

Another word for love is phileo—from which we get the name of our city “Philadelphia”—meaning city of brotherly love.  This is seen in friendship, loyalty and charity—and to that extent it is a good thing.

The word used here, however, is “agape” and that is God’s kind of love—unselfish and sacrificial—given for the sake of another.  Only the believer can know and give such love.  It is the presence of the Spirit of God within the child of God that enables him or her to exhibit the fruit of love.

May it be abundantly seen in our lives today!

THE LOVE OF GOD

“You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs
I look around me and I see it isn’t so
Some people want to fill this world with silly love songs
And what’s wrong with that?  I’d like to know.”

So sang Paul McCartney in 1976.  He should know about silly love songs because one of the first ones he did with the Beatles had these brilliant lyrics,

“She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

It was released one day before my eighth birthday, and was the Beatles best-selling single—and they sold a lot of records!

Love songs will continue to be written and recorded because love is a fundamental human desire.  All of us want to give and receive love.  Though sin has twisted and warped love’s meaning and expression, love—in its pure form—is nevertheless connected with our Creator.  Plainly, Scripture says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8b).

That was a radical concept in the ancient world.  Their gods were full of hate, jealousy, lust, and deception—taking advantage of and toying with humans for their own selfish whims.  The Bible shouts, “No!  God is nothing like that!”  This week, we will learn more of the love of God and see the difference that makes in our relationship with Him and with others.