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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (31-10-1999 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Last time we looked at the first aspect of God’s
character revealed in His deliverance of Israel from Egypt – His love and
compassion for His people. But the second side of His character is just as real,
prominent and Biblical – though less popular –He is a God of justice,
holiness and wrath. This theme is present in Scripture from the Garden of Eden
till the final chapter of Revelation, and was particularly prominent in the
ministry of the Saviour.
After looking at the manifestation of God’s wrath in this part of Exodus, we will broaden the theme and look more closely at the meaning of God’s wrath, and see how it was finally and fully satisfied when Christ died, so that the danger it poses over everyone is lifted, and we are accepted and received. Though we deserve to know that wrath, the Good News is that it fell to someone else. With great joy and relief we can sing:
“No
condemnation now I dread.
Jesus
and all in Him are mine.
Bold
I approach the eternal throne
And
claim the crown through Christ my own.”
The story of the plagues is one of the severest examples
of judgement, and display of God’s wrath, in the Old Testament, and indeed the
whole Bible. God took a proud king and a proud nation and utterly humbled them,
and delivered Israel by His mighty arm.
Pharaoh was the proud and
arrogant king, possessing unbridled power and authority. He was called “The
child of the sun”, and depicted as fondled by the greatest gods. The supreme
oath that could be made was “by the life of Pharaoh”. Without him no man
could lift up hand or foot in all Egypt. For him, the land of Egypt existed. For
him, the mighty Nile flowed. For him vast armies of priests and courtiers
served. From his lofty throne he looked down on the wretched crowds of subject
peoples, careless of their miseries.
Then this mighty king was asked
to let the people of Israel go. The demand came from God. Pharaoh said,
"Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know
the Lord and I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2). He had utter
contempt for such an idea. Why should he heed the demands of the God of his
slaves? How dare they mention such a paltry God in his presence? He would show
them who really had the power around here – and he increased their burden and
thought that was the end of the matter.
God’s reaction in the face of
such defiance was judgement. He sent the plagues on Egypt – the river turning
to blood, frogs, lice, flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, thick
darkness and the death of the first-born. God used the forces of nature against
Pharaoh. Some of the plagues were not unknown in the land of Egypt, but we see
the hand of God in their perfect timing and the way they served God’s
purposes.
But the Lord hardened
Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go (Exodus 10:20).
These are solemn and mysterious words. We have a problem with them. The first
time reference is made to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, it says that he
hardened his own heart. Then as a punishment God increased his obstinacy. In all
this God was very patient. He made appeal and appeal. He did not condemn without
evidence. Then he acted. When God humbled Pharaoh, He really humbled him. This
is how God acted when an arrogant man “thumbed his nose” to his Creator and
Judge.
In the Scriptures there are
wonderful examples of what the grace of God can do (e.g. Jacob, and Saul of
Tarsus) and of what the wrath of God can do (e.g. Pharaoh of Egypt, and
Sennacharib of Assyria). There is folly in trying to defy God. Proud obstinate
sinners are not going to get away with it in the end. They will be put in their
place.
Constantly the Bible highlights
pride and lack of humility as a cardinal sin. A man can be very kind, pleasant,
the sort who would give his last penny away, but firmly rooted in his nature, as
far as God is concerned, there can still be pride, resistance and contempt.
Does God still chastise nations
today by natural disasters? Why not? The wrath of God is not just something in
the past, but is true of the present and the future. The outbreak of foot and
mouth disease in 1865, according to J.C.Ryle in a tract he wrote at the time,
was “the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19), unhesitatingly equating it with the
plague on cattle. God orders all things in heaven and earth. No one who believes
the Bible will deny God’s providence over the world. God, who made the world,
governs and manages it. Sometimes the finger of the wise and loving God has to
warn and chastise men.
National sins, covetousness, love of pleasure, neglect of the Lord’s day, drunkenness, contempt for the seventh commandment – God is bound to have a controversy with our country. We are a privileged nation, and therefore ought to consider our ways. We ought to humble ourselves before God, and break off from these sins.
This is a neglected subject and a highly unpopular one,
rarely spoken of publicly. Endless sermons are preached about the love of God,
and the power of God, and the grace of God. But many preachers stay very quiet
about God’s wrath and judgement. It is passed over with embarrassment and
silence, not wanting to frighten or upset people – even though it is a fact.
Some even reject the whole idea and say it is not true of the God of the New
Testament.
The Biblical writers had no such
reticence or denials. In the Old Testament there are 20 different words used for
the wrath of God, in more than 600 passages. There is even greater emphasis on
the New Testament. Who was it that spoke of judgement, hell-fire, soul and body
destroyed in hell, no forgiveness of sins, it would have been better for Judas
if he had not been born, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth? Who
uttered the words, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire’
“unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Matthew 25:41; Luke 13:5)?
The punishment of sin is
eternal. These words have an awfulness and finality about them. There is urgent
need to know who God really is, not just a vague idea of what we think He is all
about. We need to be clear – He is the God of heaven and earth, the God before
whom the angels veil their faces, the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity,
of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, a consuming fire, who lives in
unapproachable light. He is pure, holy and glorious. How utterly repulsive we
must be to Him. By our sins we have dethroned Him. We do not obey or depend on
Him. We have let other things take His place in our lives. We are hostile to
Him.
The glorious and holy God
reacts. He cannot tolerate sin. His reaction is wrath. He is not bad-tempered or
spiteful, as we are. He does not act in a vindictive outburst, as we can. But
His is a steady settled controlled antagonism. Holiness exposes sin, and wrath
opposes it. When we pray, He is not listening. When we want to be seen by Him,
He cannot look on us for He is too pure to behold us. Sin separates us. His face
is hidden from us. Sin is not merely a moral lapse, or social blunder, or
cultural taboo. Sin is an act of rebellion and offence in the heart. It has to
be dealt with and punished.
This is the God of Bible. This
is not what most people are wanting. They want an easy-going God, tolerant and
accommodating, with no violent reactions. They bring God down to their own
level. Even in the church, a vision of the majesty of God has gone. There is
much shallowness and levity. There is no fear of God, no trembling at His Word.
Reverence and Godly fear are things of the past. It is easier to clap hands than
to blush with shame. We expect God to be indulgent, and not indignant. How
little of our 20th century preaching, prayers, hymns and services
reflect the deep sense of unworthiness and humility that marked our forefathers.
The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who
suppress the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18) at the present time.
His hand is seen against men in various ways. The way of the unfaithful is
hard (Proverbs 13:15). Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires
of their hearts… God gave them over to shameful lusts…. he gave them over to
a depraved mind (Romans 1:24-28). He has removed the restraint, taken the
brake off, and allowed men to endure the full consequences of their
transgression. Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened (Romans 1:21), their characters debased, perverse and deceitful.
The progressive moral decline of western civilization is proof of this.
Then the final day will come when there will be a reckoning. Judgement day will come. All final accounts will be settled. Lives will be fully and finally exposed in all their horror, filthiness and awfulness. Man’s defiance of God’s law throughout his lifetime will be known to the whole universe. He will only be able to plead guilty. Those awful words will be heard: “Depart from me. I never knew you.”. The consequence will be eternal punishment in the company of the Devil and his angels. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:46). This is the teaching of Christ. Are we going to ignore it? As we look out on the world in general or at our own lives in particular, remember God will have the last word.
Thus the true Biblical picture is that God hates evil,
and as a reaction against sin, His wrath is poured out. He refuses to come to
terms with sin. And yet He desperately loves the sinner, and longs to forgive
and receive and bless. How can it be done without moral compromise, and without
setting aside the law and just exercise of His wrath?
God’s solution was one which
only God could provide, and at unspeakable cost to Himself. This is love: not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice
for our sins (1 John 4:10). This is propitiation, the turning aside of
God’s wrath. This is what was done at the Cross. In God’s sight and
purposes, our sin, guilt and punishment was borne by the Lord Jesus Christ. At
the moment of His death, Christ was separated from His Father ‘ “My God, why
have you forsaken me?” in order that we should not be separated from Him
forever. The “cup” that He drank was the wrath of God. His death was
substitutionary. God’s wrath was averted because it was borne by His Son.
Every penny of our redemption
was paid for by God Himself – by the holy God whom we hated, turned our backs
on, whose laws we have systematically broken, defiantly and deliberately.
“Amazing love! How can it be
That
Thou my God shouldst die for me?”
“If we spoke less about God’s love and more about
His holiness and His judgement, we should say much more when we did speak about
His love.” (P.T.Forsyth). Only when we think of God’s majesty and holiness,
and the awfulness of our own sin and hell it deserves, do we really understand
what the love of God means. It is astounding, breathtaking and totally
marvellous.
Do you see the issue? Sin must be punished for justice to be done and God’s wrath to be averted. The punishment must either be borne by Christ, or by the sinner. And if you are in Christ – believe and accept that His death was in your place – then you are saved. If you are out of Christ, you must bear the punishment yourself.
This solemn subject gets to the heart of the Gospel and
the profoundest meaning of the Cross of Jesus. How do you see yourself? Do you
see the serious condition and great danger you are in? God sees it, even if you
refuse to see it. But your Creator and Judge can also be your Redeemer. Because
of His immeasurable love for you, Christ died in your place to shield you from
the Father’s wrath. On the basis of that death, forgiveness is offered, peace,
acceptance, being part of God’s family, your prayers heard, God as your loving
Father caring for you, the only way of escape from hell.
This is ours if we acknowledge our bankruptcy, humbly accept the gift, losing out pride that makes us want to pay for it ourselves. “Lord I am damned, but thou hast died” (Wesley).
