Faith, Wrath, and the Transformative Power of Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Faith as Acceptance of God's Testimony

Believing in the testimony of Jesus is more than just an intellectual assent; it is an acceptance of God's truth and character. When one believes in Jesus, they are affirming the truthfulness of God's word and His nature. Conversely, rejecting this testimony is not simply disbelief but an act of defiance against God, questioning His integrity. This distinction is crucial because it highlights the relational aspect of faith—trusting in God's character and His promises. Faith, therefore, is not a passive state but an active acceptance of God's revelation through Jesus. [24:40]

1 John 5:10-11 (ESV): "Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you struggling to accept God's testimony? How can you actively choose to trust His character today?

Day 2: The Urgency of Faith in Light of God's Wrath

The sermon emphasizes that the greatest threat to human life is not the challenges we face daily, such as financial or health issues, but the reality of remaining under God's wrath. This underscores the urgency of faith, as it is the only means by which one can escape this divine judgment. The wrath of God is a serious matter, and it is only through faith in Jesus that one can be saved from it. This urgency calls for immediate action, as delaying faith in Jesus means remaining under this threat. [31:43]

Romans 2:5-6 (ESV): "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works."

Reflection: What steps can you take today to address any areas of unbelief in your life, knowing the urgency of faith in light of God's wrath?

Day 3: Jesus' Sacrifice as the Ultimate Demonstration of Love

Jesus' death on the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love, as it addresses the greatest threat to humanity—God's wrath. This act of love was not a futile gesture but a profound accomplishment that dealt with the penalty of sin. By bearing the divine wrath on behalf of sinners, Jesus provided a way for humanity to be reconciled with God. For those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation, as Jesus absorbed God's wrath on the cross. This sacrificial love is the foundation of the Christian faith and the assurance of salvation. [34:36]

1 John 4:9-10 (ESV): "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Reflection: How does understanding Jesus' sacrifice as an act of love change your perspective on your relationship with God? How can you respond to this love today?

Day 4: The Transformative Opportunity of Faith

The opportunity of faith is available to everyone, regardless of their past. Believing in Jesus transforms both the present and eternal future, offering eternal life as a present reality, not just a distant hope. This simplicity and accessibility of faith mean that anyone can experience a transformed life through belief in Jesus. The urgency of faith is not only about escaping wrath but also about embracing the abundant life that Jesus offers now. Today is a day of great opportunity to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. [38:50]

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Reflection: What areas of your life need transformation through faith in Jesus? How can you embrace the opportunity of faith today to experience this change?

Day 5: Sharing the Abundant Grace of Jesus

There is enough grace in Jesus for everyone, making the gospel good news for all. Every Christian has the privilege and responsibility to share this message of salvation and eternal life. The grace of Jesus is not limited or exclusive; it is abundant and available to all who believe. This calls Christians to be active in sharing their faith, knowing that the message of Jesus has the power to transform lives. Sharing the gospel is not just a duty but a joyful opportunity to extend God's grace to others. [38:14]

Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV): "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the grace of Jesus? How can you intentionally share the good news with them this week?

Sermon Summary

Believing in the testimony of Jesus is the essence of faith. It honors and glorifies God, and the opposite of belief is not mere unbelief but defiance. Belief accepts God's word, while defiance rejects it. This distinction is crucial, as rejecting Jesus' testimony is akin to calling God a liar, impugning His character. Faith is simple yet urgent, as it determines our eternal destiny. The wrath of God remains on those who do not obey the Son, highlighting the urgency of faith.

The greatest threat to human life is not financial, health, or relational issues, but remaining under God's wrath. Jesus Christ came to address this ultimate threat. His death on the cross bore the divine wrath on behalf of sinners, demonstrating God's immense love. Unlike a futile gesture, Jesus' sacrifice accomplished something profound—it dealt with the greatest threat to human life. For those in Christ, there is no condemnation, as Jesus absorbed God's wrath on the cross.

The opportunity of faith is available to all. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. This simplicity means that anyone, regardless of their past, can believe in Jesus and have their life and eternal future transformed. The urgency of faith means it is not only possible but necessary to believe in Jesus. Today is a day of great opportunity to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. There is enough grace in Jesus for everyone, and every Christian has good news to share. Believing in Jesus promises eternal life, not as a distant hope but as a present reality.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith is not just about belief but about accepting God's testimony through Jesus. Rejecting this testimony is defiance, not mere unbelief, as it questions God's character and truthfulness. [24:40]
2. The urgency of faith is underscored by the reality of God's wrath. Remaining under this wrath is the greatest threat to human life, surpassing all other fears and challenges. [31:43]
3. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love, as it addresses the greatest threat to humanity—God's wrath. This act of love is not futile but accomplishes our salvation. [34:36]
4. The opportunity of faith is available to everyone. Believing in Jesus transforms our present and eternal future, offering eternal life as a present reality, not just a future hope. [38:50]
5. There is enough grace in Jesus for everyone, making the gospel good news for all. Every Christian has the privilege and responsibility to share this message of salvation and eternal life. [38:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:39] - The Essence of Faith
[19:19] - Opinion vs. Testimony
[21:35] - The Testimony of Jesus
[24:40] - Defiance vs. Belief
[26:01] - Urgency of Faith
[27:26] - The Reality of God's Wrath
[29:08] - The Greatest Threat
[32:02] - Jesus' Sacrifice and Love
[34:36] - The Achievement of the Cross
[36:20] - The Opportunity of Faith
[37:44] - Grace for Everyone
[39:06] - Present Reality of Eternal Life
[39:44] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

because you see belief responds to God by saying I've heard what you have said and I accept it but unbelief responds to God by saying I have heard what you have said and I do not accept I do not accept now friends this is where the distinction between an opinion and a testimony is of huge importance and I want us to get it clear in our minds today so let me try and put it to you this way if we were to be discussing who is the greatest classical composer of all time we would have all different opinions in this room and valid opinions because we all have different tastes and if we got into this conversation probably our own background would have something to do with it as well I mean if we were to do a poll I suspect that there would be a good many Russians who would say chikosi and more than a few french who would say deusi and a few hungarians who would say lit um some Germans who would say either Bach Brams bethoven Handel Mendelson or Vagner a lot of choice these guys have some Brits who would say Elgar and here in America we might go for gerswin or at least that would be my opinion and we could have a discussion about this and I might say I think that uh gerswin is the greatest ever American composer and you might say I absolutely disagree with you Colin I cannot accept that eron Copeland is better by far and we could have a marvelous conversation on the pros and cons of this and if we were mature people not a single bit of offense would be taken because all we are doing is disagreeing over what is plainly a matter of opinion and the joy and the freedom of that and would that our culture actually had greater ability in this regard is that mature people ought to be able to do that without offense but now let me give you a different example and move from the world of opinion to the world of Testament suppose you ask me about Edinburgh and let's suppose for a moment though I'm sure many of you have been there but let's assume for a moment that you have not been there but you have heard that I was born there was raised there and that I know that City very very well indeed and so you ask me about the City of Edinburgh where I was born and raised and I say to you well the main street has shops along one side and Gardens all along the other side and towering over the Main Street and over the whole city there is a castle built on a high rock that arises out of these Gardens and from the castle at 1:00 on every day except for Sundays and Christmas Day and Good Friday a gun is fired uh to give to people uh an indication of the fact that the time is precise ly 1:00 the very famous Edinburgh 1:00 gun there you are now you have it now suppose you say to me I don't believe a word of it and a main city street with Gardens on one side and uh shops on the other huge castle arising and looking over the whole place and a gun that goes off every day except for Sundays and Christmas days and Good Friday and I would say to you look I'm telling you what I've seen and heard I went to school within a few few hundred yards of the castle and etched on my memory I mean day after day after day that gun went off every time when we were in the school yard during lunchtime pigeons always flew up in the air is always the same you never got used to it I said look I'm telling you what I have seen and heard now let's turn it the other way around let's suppose that you're telling me about your hometown where you was were raised a place that I have never been and suppose I'm the one who's listening to what you heard and what you said and I'm saying to you I don't believe a word of it then you are going to be offended you know why because I'm calling you a liar I'm imping your character I'm saying that your word of what you say that you have seen and heard is not as far as I am concerned trustworthy are to be regarded as worthy of weight now do you see that that is precisely the position that we end up in where we refuse to believe what Jesus has seen and her that's the words that are used here he comes from above comes the place none of us have been and to disbelief his testimony is to call God a liar because he speaks the very words of God it's to impune the character of God as much as to believe what he says is to honor and praise the character of God and who wants to be in a position of having imputed the character of almighty God Calvin says this so clearly he says we cannot commit a greater insult to God than not to believe the gospel that's very striking isn't it take that in you cannot offer a greater insult to God than not to believe his gospel so this is why I say you see that the opposite of Bel belie is not unbelief the opposite of belief is actually Defiance it is to set yourself against God it is to refuse the grace that he offers to you by the way that is why in verse 36 that we're just coming to now do you notice it says whoever believes in the son has eternal life whoever does not oh the word changes obey you see because the opposite of belief is Defiance whoever does not obey the sun does not see life but the wrath of God remains on him you see so three observations about faith the first was its Simplicity the second is its urgency I want you to see today the urgency of Faith verse 36 and let's take the second part of it first and then we'll come to the first part first part whoever believes in the sun has eternal life second part whoever does not obey the son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him now friends just taking these words as they're right in front of you as they're in front of me in the Bible in the light of this verse it cannot Poss possibly be the case that love and compassion are the only things that can be known in God I mean it is and I use this word carefully here it is the opinion it is the opinion of some that a God who gets angry with Sinners is somehow outdated and belongs back in the world of the Old Testament that we should long since have left behind that's the opinion of some no no one can testify to that you see but it's the opinion of some but here it is right in front of us in the fourth gospel the wrath of God in the Gospel of John in the same chapter as John 3:16 of course because John 3:16 speaks about the danger that apart from Christ we would perish second in the light of this verse it cannot possibly be the case that all will be well with all people in the end it says if anyone does not not obey the son he will not see life so again there is no room there for the opinion of some who say though they've never been to he and see to tell us but the opinion of some who say that Jesus came into the world so that everybody's going to be in heaven irr respective no it says here whoever does not believe in the sun will not see life third in the light of this verse what is just stated in front of us in the Scriptures it cannot possibly be the case that death is the end of a person's existence you hear people saying this all the time oh well I'm gone I'm gone you can't testify to that because you haven't heard nor seen so it may be you're opinion but that's all it is and it's not an opinion that Accords with the word of Jesus who came from eternity who came from Heaven to tell us what it's really like what does it say whoever does not obey the son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him notice that word in other words apart from Jesus Christ it is already on or at least hanging over a person now and apart from Jesus Christ it will never be taken away no no that ever remains that's the word that's used now many of you are in the world of business and you are familiar with the great value of doing what is called a SWAT analysis some of you are really good at this and it's part of your profession what are our strengths what are our weaknesses what are our opportunities and what are our threats that last question is is really important what is there out there that could glow blow us out of the water you you ask that in the context of business what's the threat now if we were to do a SWAT analysis of a human life what would be the ultimate threat that a person in this world could face that might blow them out the water to use that phrase and of course there are many things that would come to mind things to do with money losing your job losing your business losing your Investments things to do with health heart attack stroke cancer things to do with relationships losing the presence of someone you love who makes your life so rich big big threat all of them threats indeed but friends if we are to take what is in these verses before us seriously at all we have to say that to remain under the wrath of God is the greatest threat that could ever hang over any human life now what can be done with regards to this ultimate threat that hangs over according to the last verse of John 3 that hangs over every human life the answer the wonderful answer is that Jesus Christ came into the world to deal with this ultimate threat and here is how he did it when Jesus Christ died on the cross he bore the Divine wrath on behalf of sinners and this is the great outpouring of the love of God God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life now a lot of people get stuck at this point they say if God wants to show me that he loves me why don't he give me something that I really want like a cure for cancer or some other gift that relates to a la that I've seen in my life and how is it that Jesus dying on a cross actually shows the love of God for me how is that I can't make that connection now I like to use this little illustration that I dreamed up imagine a couple sitting in a car on a moonlit night close to Niagara Falls and he slips his arm around her and he says to her oh I love you and she says to him do you I sometimes wonder so he says all right let me prove it to you no sacrifice is too great for me and so he gets out of the car goes to the edge of the falls and with a huge leap throws himself over and as he descends into the abyss he shouts out loudly I love you this is an unforgettable experience for this girl but it is not a demonstration of love it is a demonstration of utter foolishness why because nothing is accomplished that does the girl any good so how is it that Jesus dying on the cross is the the demonstration of his love the love of the Father the love of God for us it is that he achieves something absolutely marvelous for us that he deals actually with the greatest threat to human life right there on the cross and he accomplishes it this is what the death of Christ achieves Christian brother sister the wrath of God burned itself out on Jesus in regards to you when Jesus died on the cross that is the most amazing achievement and it is the most glorious good news Jesus Christ has dealt with the greatest threat the greatest danger the greatest liability he has absorbed it in himself on your behalf and one day you Christian brother sister will stand in the presence of God and when you do you will have absolutely no reason to fear the Wrath why because he your savior absorbed it in himself on the cross and that means it can never never never touch you therefore the Bible says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus but you you see that's the urgency of Faith you've got to be in Christ Jesus not standing at a distance sort of evaluating whether you're going to believe him or not you're to receive his testimony and all the good that he's come into the world to accomplish for you and offers to you with himself and so here's the very last thing in these last moments and it's the opportunity of Faith whoever believes in the son has it eternal life the first part of verse 36 and the Simplicity of faith means that it is possible for any person however far you were away from Jesus Christ when you came to the service today it is possible for you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and for your life and for your Eternal future to be changed even today the urgency of faith means not only that this is possible for you but it's it's necessary for you you must do this You Must Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ not just sit there and observe these things and the sooner you do it the better and therefore there could by definition be no better day to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today and therefore today is a day of great opportunity whoever believes in the son has eternal life that could be you today couldn't it I love this word whoever whoever believe beles in the Son of God has eternal life in other words and this has been a marvelous thought to me there is enough Grace in the Lord Jesus Christ that every person in every congregation in every Campus of the or chard should be delivered from the ultimate threat and brought into the presence and the joy of God in heaven forever and forever there's enough Grace in Jesus Christ to do it for us all and not just us all there's enough Grace in the Lord Jesus Christ to do this for every person you will ever meet that's why every Christian has good news for any other person there is no person on this planet who could not be saved from the wroth and brought into eternal life by Jesus Christ through what he has accomplished in his death and Resurrection for us and what does he call you to do believe and what does he promise to those who believe whoever believes has eternal life not might have as if it were in doubt not will have as if it were a long way off whoever believes in the sun has eternal life of course the full Joy of it belongs to the Future when you will be in the presence of Jesus but the good of it can begin for you right now think about this a person who walked into the church today not even aware that you were under the wrath of God can go out from the church today as someone who knows and enjoys everlasting life is that not good news believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today de deal with the greatest threat and seize oh seize the greatest opportunity let's pray together shall we father we are amazed and bow before you in Wonder and worship at the glory of your son Jesus Christ Our Lord and our savior I pray that every person in this congregation will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that in believing great joy great hope great love great courage great strength great growth and great glory to your name will come from us all and these things we ask together in Jesus name and everyone together said amen let's stand and resp [00:18:19]

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