August 21

Written by Bill Grandi on August 21st, 2023

Get a bunch of people together and ask them to discuss their favorite characteristic/attribute of God and you will hear all different answers. Love. Patience. Forgiveness. Grace. Mercy. Omnipotence. Omniscience. Omnipresence. Faithfulness. I seriously doubt you will hear, “I want to talk about the wrath of God.”

On July 8, 1741 Jonathan Edwards preached one of, if not the most famous sermon of all time. It was called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Reports say people literally felt like they were being dangled over the pit of hell and were screaming out of fear.

Truth is God’s wrath is real. God’s judgment is real. Frankly though, it is hard to accept that because we don’t want to see God as one who judges and will do so impartially. We don’t want to see Him as a God of wrath.ย  It gets even harder to accept when we are told by our culture-and even by some religious teachers- that we all go to the same place in the end (Universalism which says we will all go to heaven), or that there are many gods so choose the one you want.ย  The answer to both of those is No and No. They are lies from the pit of hell and they smell like smoke.

The wrath of God can be avoided or experienced. You can avoid it by hearing the Word, repenting and confessing your sin and accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. One can experience God’s wrath by rejecting God’s Word and all it says about sin and turning your back on Jesus.

The follower of Jesus avoids God’s wrath; the one who rejects Jesus will experience it. Which one are you?

And by the way: the reality of that should burden us, should want us to go our family and friends with passion in our heart and say, “I have to tell you about Jesus. I want you to be able to avoid what is to come.”

 

8 Comments so far ↓

  1. Pam says:

    A timely post and one not taken seriously enough even by those who claim to be Christians. Thanks for the admonition, Bill. Even those of us who have been following Jesus for a long time need to be reminded of sinโ€™s consequence.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      Thank you Pam. It was sobering to me as I studied to realize I have escaped that wrath but know those who won’t.

  2. Ryan S. says:

    I without hesitation say that I am thankful for the Grace of God that allows me to avoid His wrath or separation.

    I do NOT for a second think God is sitting on His throne in heaven with a smirk thinking to Himself… Who am I going to get to burn when this is all said and done…

    I think God’s heart is saddened by those who He has provided the option to spend eternity with Him, yet have chosen or will choose to look the other way and say I don’t need you, I don’t want you.

    There will come a time for His wrath and it will be like a mama bear protecting her cubs. The enemy, Satan, and his dominion will face the full impact.

    I think God is holding on for that last soul that that is willing to say Yes to Him and No to eternal separation.

    We are on God’s timetable and I have been guilty of saying “I just wish Jesus would come back”…. I remind myself that if that were to happen today, I may not see some of my family and friends on the other side of this life.

    Sorry, just felt compelled to take a little trip today. Thanks for putting the urgency in our minds today!

    • Bill Grandi says:

      I went on that trip with you Ryan! ๐Ÿ™‚ And totally agree. I cringe when I think of those who think God is this angry warlord waiting to rain down vengeance. He wants all men everywhere to come to repentance.

  3. gail says:

    I am thankful I will escape God’s wrath, through my Savior Jesus Christ, I am saved through grace, grace alone. It is tough to think about God’s wrath, as I know I have some of my family saved and some that are not. I have tried to talk to them, and will continue to do so. When we think about God’s wrath, we know that He is justified in bringing His wrath down. God did everything He could possibly do to save us, except make the decision for us, that is the only thing we have to do. Noone has an excuse, as stated in Romans1:20. God is a just and fair God, He didn’t make us do a list of things that we would fail at trying to get done, all He ask that we believe in His Son, and that it is through Him that we are saved. Honestly, there is no way to make that any easier, so how could anyone stand before God and say they didn’t know or didn’t understand the truth. Truth is they wanted God to fit into their plans, and do things their way, it was all about them , and never about God. Sin has consequences, and no one can escape that on their own. Good news is God made a way for anyone to escape, but it has to be a personal choice, and a personal surrender.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      You done preached a good sermon here Gail! ๐Ÿ™‚ full of truth. I will stand with you on all of this. Thanks for your comment.

  4. Cheryl says:

    I so appreciate the truth you speak, Pastor Bill. I am so sick of the watered-down, sugar-coated preaching that omits the warnings that we need to hear. I would hate to be one of those ministers when he stands before God at the end of life. There will be a lot of blood on the hands of those who fail to be the watchmen on the walls that He has called them to be. May God bless you for being so true and worthy of the calling He has placed on your life.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      Thank you Cheryl. I, too, would hate to be one of those who stand before God after preaching half baked and mostly non-truth over the course of my ministry. I desire to be faithful to His calling.