Understanding The Wrath Of God Part 2

One reason for us. Jesus phone number for the blessings of God bestowed on people and nations that follow his command's judgment takes many forms of natural disasters and the deprivation of personal freedoms today to look at more forms of judgment that are very evident in America now stay with us from this with Dr. is clear teaching helps us make it across the lawn is God's judgment.

The same thing as is. Yes I would say in this sense day God's wrath is seen most clearly in his judgment, and of course we know that we are living in a nation that is turned against God. In fact, let me ask you a random question. If you ever heard that socialism is based on need and capitalism is based on greed. Did you know that the opposite is actually true. These are the kinds of questions I answer in my new book entitled, we will not be silenced responding courageously to our culture's assault on Christianity that let me point out that greed exists everywhere but socialism is destructive and there are reasons why we as Christians should stand against it. If you're interested in a copy of this book and I sure hope you are because I think it will help you interpret the culture here is what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us open our minds and hearts and once again look at God and the nations.

Now what we learn in Scripture is that if you're going to close your ears to the truth. God is going to make sure that your ears are closed as a judgment.

Isaiah chapter 6 verses nine and 10. He said go and tell this people is talking to Isaiah be ever hearing but never understanding be ever seeing but never perceiving make the heart of this people calloused make their ears dull close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes here with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and be healed. And God says in the New Testament. Satan has blinded the minds of those who believe not last the light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them.

God's as you want to hear my word will give you blindness and dull hearing so that you won't hear it.

It's a judgment from me why we have to pause there don't way number of years ago, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel laureate famous for Russian literature and his description of life under communism giving a lecture at Harvard University and warned the students about America's pursuit of pleasure, to the neglect of God and says that that the student body should should turn to God, and he was booed off the stage, we will not hear it, eyes and ears dull of hearing God in his providence has given me a good friend in London, England.

He's a pastor there and this past week I was at a conference and we are at the conference together so we spent many hours talking about Europe and London, a letter was sent from the Willow Creek Association to the churches of London that says we want to meet with all of the super churches we would call them in America. Mega churches, you know, the letter was sent to anyone whose congregation was 250 people or above tell you I never have seen so many people as when we were in London a few years ago, down the streets just rivers and rivers of people just rivers and rivers in sale. God is there no end to the people in London get a large evangelical church is one that has 250 members. This is the country that sent missionaries. This is the country that used to have huge Bible conferences. The is this is the country that produced some of the finest in the biggest and the best preachers like Charles Haddon Spurgeon during the 1800s.

And God says I have given you a spirit of slumber and your eyes are closed in your ears are stopped up because you would not and that is London today and England, and it's no better in Europe. My wife and I have been there we go until the great cathedrals why because were interested in architecture and were interested in saying that we were in in these places but you show up Sunday and you have a few hundred people at the most down in front of the whole churches are MTN teams of people going to the beach or enjoying themselves doing other things they have no ears to hear, none at all. And that is a picture of the United States of America in a couple generations unless we repent.

I think of France, you know, II can prove this scripturally, but it seems to me that when Louis XIV and by the way give never been to bursae.

My wife and I were there last summer. What an exciting place to visit. I could tell you all about bursae, but the sermon says keep going up the hall of mirrors. Unbelievable. Believe it alone but you go to France when Louis XIV expelled the Huguenots, many of them went to Germany and other countries. 20,000 of them and he took away their jobs and he persecuted them until they all left at almost the Huguenots of course were believing Christians converted through the ministry of people like John Calvin who trained ministers to go to France to preach the gospel. Did you know that at one time there were something like 2000 congregations in France and and there was a belief that France might actually embrace the whole Reformation.

But thanks to others like Louis XIV. He expelled them all. He persecuted them all just seems as if today from what missionaries in France tell me it's as if God just went and pulled the blind in France today is one of the most secular countries of the world turning against its heritage and Christianity because they do not have ears to hear God's word.

God says that's a judgment for turning from me. We must hurry the oppression of families.

That's number five I choose only one verse from the book of Deuteronomy your sons and daughters will be given to another nation and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day powerless to lift a hand.

God of course is referring to the captivity's you have the Assyrian captivity and you have the Babylonian captivity.

When the people were hauled off to other countries because of their idolatry. God says that's a judgment and the final judgment really is the smashing of families Jubilee that America is under God's judgment today. Listen to the cries of little boys and little girls crying for mommy crying for daddy because mommy and daddy are divorced and they can't get along, and daddy has found somebody he likes better than mommy God says part of the judgment is the fact that there are infants and children who are crying, and there'll be nothing that you as a parent can do about it is the judgment of God upon that sin 90 that there are hundreds of you here. I'm sure and certainly listening probably are divorced and divorce is not some great sin, as if to say it's in a category by itself and I need to know that you to know that I also believe that oftentimes there is an innocent party. No question about it. I'm just telling you that as we embrace divorce as a way of life as our nation is steeped in immorality, which is almost always the cause of divorce not always, but almost always, God says you're gonna pay for it by your children and they will grow up into into adults and they will marry and they will take all of their sense of rejection and their baggage into their marriage and so on and on it goes to judgment against sin.

One more and that's number six which is the withholding of blessing it says in Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 25 your wrongdoings have These away your sins have deprived you up good.

This is one judgment will never be able to point to. And the reason is because we have no idea of the blessings that God might have given to us had we not turn from him and stop the power ears and closed her eyes and gone on her. Mary way. Let me give you some principles. Three or four as I try to conclude first all these judgments draw attention to God.

That's the whole point. God doesn't give us these things so that we might be mad at him and say well if that's the kind of dog you are that I won't have anything to do with God is trying to put his arms around us. These judgments have two different sides. One side is that they are retributive IPO. I hope I put the emphasis on the rights allowable their they are retributive. They are judgments because of sin there. The natural consequences of sin. There's a second aspect, and that is corrective. God says to you and to me and to the nation. Don't you see these judgments. Don't you see that you need me. What am I gonna have to put you through before you call on me and say hey we give up, we surrender the weapons of a rebel. God says these judgments remind you or should that you need me. Second, I've already emphasized that we cannot judge a nation by evaluating the number of its judgments because this is a different era, but isn't it interesting that China let's take that as a nation that was deprived of its rights. I find this fascinating under communism the church in China grew more and greater then the church in Taiwan which supposedly has freedom. So do you see how God can even take something which appears to be a negative.

Namely, the restriction of freedom and he can actually use it to strengthen the church to be what the church should be and you can go to China today and their estimates that there are between 30 and 50 million genuine believers in a country were preaching the gospel is forbidden. So let's not look down on other countries. Let's just simply look at ourselves and see that that we cannot judge others even especially natural disasters, but I've already commented on that and so we must hurry third, God begins judgment with his own people. Now listen to this very carefully.

God begins judgment with his own people.

I deliberately chose verses of Scripture that we have just covered that all have to do with the nation of Israel or Judah God's chosen people now there judgments in the Old Testament regarding pagan nations, but I deliberately didn't deal with those. These are God's people. The Bible says in the New Testament, the judgment must begin at the house of God. It begins with the best people God as and when they are brought to repentance through that. You see, God begins to flow out and to bless others.

That's God's way of doing things, but God is much more concerned you see about the sins that are in the church that he is the sins that are in the world, we should expect the world to have that sentence. I mean, why not birds fly, don't think, but among believers. That's the problem you settled this God ever judge churches well last night.

I just decided to do a quick read of the seven churches of Revelation. The letters that Jesus wrote to these churches in Ephesus. God says because you've left your first love. You will cease to exist as a church, I'd say that's a pretty severe judgment which was fulfilled because there is no church in Ephesus today Pergamum you will find that the Lord will fight against those who are in moral Bible says by a tyrant. Those who commit adultery will suffer intensely. God says is part of my judgment. Sardis, the Lord will come as a thief to judge those whose deeds are incomplete while I'm reading that thing. What's it like to have incomplete deeds goddesses are not found them complete and I'm going to come to you Laodicea God will spew out of his mouth the church because of its lukewarmness off course, God judges us now for us as believers. There is no ultimate judgment were going to be in heaven if we received the gift of eternal life because we come under the protection of Christ's righteousness, but in terms of God's discipline yes indeed God does discipline churches. I know one church that is going through a church split those are awful things to endure and I hear about them all the time all the time we have to pray that at the Moody church, God continues to grant us unity which we've experienced so wonderfully old just pray that God will grant that but but part of it frankly is that I believe that in this is just a human judgment now that in this case that I'm thinking about. There's been some serious sin on the part of some of the people in the church who are petty and who want their way and who are doing this and and it's a complicated situation, but the simple fact is that it may be judgment. I remember somebody saying of a particular church that every pastor that comes the church split Senate always splits along the same lines, you have the same families on this side of the fence as you have on this side of the fence.

It has systemic problems that have never been resolved because the repentance on the part of the congregation has been superficial and goddesses that your judgment. Finally, in last the greater the grace the greater the grace the greater the future judgment for refusing it. The greater the grace the greater the future judgment for refusing it easy. God has granted to some countries, tremendous blessings, I think of the United States of America. I just can't get my mind around it. When you compare it to other countries.

I'm in here. We have Bibles everywhere. We have churches that are still open that preach the truth we've got television programs we've got books we've got. We've got all kinds of ways to get the message out all every kind of seminar every kind of ministry that you can possibly imagine. It's happening and a lot of it is good in the face of that as a nation were closing our ears were taking down the fences and were going our own way and goddesses, the greater the grace and has not this country been graced, the greater the grace the greater the judgment. Now let me talk to you as an individual person not tying about America. I'm talking about you. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.

If God in his grace. Send Jesus to die for us so that we could be reconciled to God.

If God in his grace has let us and to give us an understanding of the truth of this word if we neglected in the face of such light, how shall we escape, if I had the time, I would prove to you that the judgment is going to be much greater for those who lived under grace than it ever was under the law under the law, oftentimes immediate judgment. You touch the ark, and you were dropdead in peopling.

Well, as serious on not nearly as serious as eternal judgment in hell for those who stand in the presence of the living Christ and say no to him. How do you my friend plan to escape. If you neglected the grace and the mercy and the forgiveness of God offered in the crucified Savior.

There is no escape. Would you join me as we pray our father.

We just want to confess to you that we have. We've turned from tremendous tremendous light and opportunity. Thank you for all the good things that you are doing among us for the people who still love you and pray witness the father we've squandered help us as a nation help us as a church help us as Moody church to be the people that we should be knowing that you two could judge us, and in some ways you may be. If we take it all for granted live by the flesh do our own thing now of God's talk to you today. Would you just talk to God. Now where you are. So what did God say to you today. What is he said to you today father. If you've spoken keep speaking don't let us alone until we dealt with the issues that you brought to our attention give us no rest, no peace. We pray in Jesus name, amen my friend today. This is Pastor Luther. I hope that your heart has been both challenged and touched.

We do live at a critical time when the gospel of Jesus Christ is being obscured in so many different ways.

There are many churches who no longer preach the gospel. They are into what is known as social justice, the social justice gospel. Did you know that that's not the gospel. These are the kinds of issues I discuss in my new book entitled, we will not be silenced responding courageously to our culture's attack on Christianity. If you don't understand what is happening in our universities and in our schools will be puzzled about what's happening in our country for gift of any amount.

This book can be yours. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book, we will not be silenced. Standing courageously against our culture's assault on Christianity is not known for you to ask Pastor will certainly question about the Bible or the Christian life were warned in the Bible to expect a rise of evil is the times of the end. Draw near one of our listeners wonders about this and puts his concern. This way if as you say America is already under God's judgment. How much worse is it going to get before it gets better. Also, what are some steps we Christians can take within our churches to change the culture. Thank you so much for asking that question and the answer is yes I do believe that America's under judgment in the Old Testament God told Israel that when they were under judgment that their families would be destroyed. You have children who would be begging for their mothers and mothers for their children and today across America. Our families are being destroyed there being destroyed from with in because of immorality they are being destroyed because of the temptations that are without and we are paying for our sins, and those consequences are part of God's judgment. So yes, I think we are under judgment. What shall we do about it.

First of all we need to be committed to our families. Let's begin there. We need to recognize that our children have to walk with God and we need to have a priority in terms of our children and our grandchildren which really speaks to me because Rebecca and I have seven grandchildren and so that's where it begins we have to live holy lives so that our witness is strong and uncompromised in the midst of this generation we need to witness to our faith to let other people know about the beauty and the glory of Jesus and what he did for us.

We need to be strong in that regard, we need to be willing to suffer for our faith and that of course is going to begin to happen and has already happened. As the state continues to encroach upon the church and his secularism comes to its logical conclusions in the realm of morals.

So all of these things are necessary, we can also take hope from other examples, people like Von Hoffer modeled the struggle of a believer in the midst of a nation that has forgotten God we need to read the biographies of the martyrs to be encouraged. So all these things are part of the answer in terms of our witness in a generation that has lost its way.

Some wise counsel from Dr. Erwin looser.

Thank you once again Dr. lutes or if you'd like to hear your question answered.

Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 one lutes or has concluded. Understanding the wrath of God. Another in a six part series of messages on God and the nations. Next time we as Americans turn our gaze at ourselves to hear a sobering message on God in the United States. Thanks for listening.

This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody church