This Sunday, we were back in Revelation 15 and 16 as we unpacked the wrath of God, which is God’s holiness moving towards evil. Following Jesus is about turning away from everything but Him, and this is the invitation He is giving us today. The question is, what finished work of Jesus are we living under today?
Key Takeaway
Repentance is the key to the kingdom.
The moral fiber of God from The Ten Commandments in the Old Testament still exists today, and it will forever because that is the character and nature of God—to be Holy.
Many ask, "How can this loving, gracious, and merciful God be so full of wrath?"
The wrath of God, simply, is the holiness of God moving towards evil.
Leon Morris says that the wrath of God is "strong and settled opposition to all that is evil arising out of God's very nature."
We see mercy everywhere, but we also see wrath.
For those who have no covering in Christ, the wrath of God is coming (Romans 1:18).
The one thing we can count on is that everything that happens will be true and just.
We want justice on this earth. There is a moral standard, and God wants to call us up to that standard. All of us who are calling out for justice are echoing the fact that there is a just One.
Repentance—to change my way of life, thinking, and direction to glorify God.
When we read Revelation 9 and 16, we see that the people had time to repent, yet they refused to.
God calls us to repent in Matthew 4:17.
Becoming a Christian may have been reduced to saying a prayer, but it's not the end in that moment. We get to that prayer moment from Romans 10:9. This prayer must lead us fully to Jesus, turning away from everything that is not Jesus to follow Jesus.
This is the invitation He's giving us today: repent. Not just in that first prayer moment but in a lifestyle dedicated to Him.
Tetelestai—it is finished.
The only Gospel that mentions Jesus saying "it is finished" from the cross is John's, who in the Spirit on the Lord's day is called up into heaven.
Which one of the "it is finished" are you living under? The finished work of Jesus or the finished wrath of God?
It's God's desire that you have mercy. God isn't providing a way out but a way in—into the shelter that is Jesus.
"There is no refuge from the judging God, but there is refuge in the judging God." — Darrell Johnson
We're all objects of the righteous wrath of God. Repent before the final wrath comes. Repent now.
Discussion Questions
- How have you reconciled following a just yet kind and merciful God?
- "The wrath of God, simply, is the holiness of God moving towards evil." How has this quote helped your understanding of the wrath of God?
- Read Romans 1:18. What are your takeaways from this verse?
- How has the definition of repentance (changing my way of life, thinking, and direction to glorify God) altered how you see the act of repentance?
- Which one of the "it is finished" are you living under? The finished work of Jesus or the finished wrath of God?
- Have you been refusing to repent? Why?
- Do you love Jesus more than your sin?