The Wine of His Wrath, Part 2

Faith in Jesus Christ involve the positive and negative gospel listen is not just believe in Christ and repent of your sin in order to go to heaven.

It is also believe in Christ, repent of your sin in order to not go to hell avoiding the wrath of God. By the way, is a very good thing to spend three hours today recommending it to everybody.

Avoid the wrath of God is that God gives us heaven when we die we know that we will be in heaven with God for eternity.

The other is that he promises that we will not face his judgment when we die were not facing hell because by faith we have avoided the wrath of God were looking at God's wrath today from Revelation 14. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi Stevens in a series called a preview of things to come.

In today's lesson is entitled the wine of his wrath. This is a difficult but important topic. So please stay with notice the personal pronouns that appear in this text, beginning with verse nine about the middle part and you can prep circle them. If anyone anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his four head or on his hand. He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed and full strength in the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone. This is not metaphorical. This is not metaphysical. This is not a serial.

This is personal reality. This is a literal experience. The individuals in this peak is given to us here, but it will be flushed out later on is as all the unbelievers are judged before God cast into the lake of fire. God gives somebody that is able to enjoy eternity in its glory. And he gives the unbeliever a body capable of experiencing the horrors of what we just read this is this is the horror of a person here who experiences this literal submission to the antichrist and it will find its way back into the book of Revelation in a literal place of torment of literal fire and brimstone in many I can't believe that many evangelicals within the church are now denying that this is the truth and they are effectively's scrambling for loophole in the 1920s a liberal Baptist pastor named Harry Emerson Fosdick was extremely extremely popular, even though he is a Baptist. For some reason he was pastoring a Presbyterian Church and was called up on charges in the session for heresy. He avoided the charges of heresy by simply resigning from the church and with the full funding of John D. Rockefeller and all of his money a new interdenominational church called Riverside Church was built on the overlooking the Hudson River and he was placed as pastor and was soon packed to capacity. He literally influence seminaries and pastors across the country affected the height of his fame. He is his picture grace the cover of Time magazine in 1930, in an interview in 1928.

Which sort of set the whole thing ablaze. His words became the standard for American pastors who wanted to be accepted. They wanted the church to be accepted by culture. They wanted the church to be viewed as something other than hellfire and brimstone, and instead be welcomed by culture and so his words were especially meaningful as they walked away from Bible exposition in verse by verse teaching in this rather seminal interview affecting read all of it online. Fosdick said these words. Preachers who pick out texts from the Bible and then proceed to give their historic settings. Their logical meaning in the context their place in the theology of the writer with a few practical reflections are grossly misusing the Bible. Nobody. He said he speaks to the public assumes that the vital interests of the people are located in the meaning of words spoken 2000 years ago which led immediately a lot of ministers to say, you know, we felt that way all along.

And now we got a champion of course that's true. We've been so old-fashioned to do what Paul told Timothy to do in preaching the what word negativity for two more were well past believing and we should be now was sophisticated as we are believing in the words of Scripture are actually inspired by God and profitable to effectively. That is thoroughly equipped the believer for life. There's gotta be something then this old block. So were way past that trouble is Fosdick was heard and created a movement, another movement was founded to try to battle. It was called fundamentalists movement. The fundamentals is a simply clearly laid out the fundamentals of the faith Fosdick preached a message that was trumpeted by Rockefeller's own money put into print and it circled the globe called and shall the fundamentalists win, he became the inventor in modern terminology. What we call today. The seeker driven church for many today.

It is a badge of honor to me as a horrifying bed in the seeker movement.

The desire to relate to the unbeliever in the assembly in church in worship is more important than the desire to convict the unbeliever of the desire to be relevant overshadows the command to be biblical and so preaching if it can be called that begins with the needs of the audience rather than the Scripture which leads to the trance formation of the audience is a world of difference with almost prophetic precision. Fosdick wrote these words that are not considered gospel truth in the evangelical church I quoted who seriously supposes that 100 in our congregation cares what Moses, Isaiah, Paul or John meant in those verses.

So the preacher should not end but starts with thinking about the audiences vital needs and then let the whole sermon be organized around a constructive endeavor to meet those needs.

All this is good since and good psychology. Sound familiar, the church growth methods of the late 20th century bought his lies to people away from the word of God in the pulpits voidable were are really nothing more now than the repackaging of the lies of Harry Emerson Fosdick that one of those popular authors today who really did nothing more than bring Harry Emerson Fosdick in the modern church growth method is not a pastor not a theologian but a pollster named George Barna and he wrote another book that created a firestorm in and sort of reinvented a number of new terminologies. The book was entitled marketing the church. It's hard to say that in a positive name. That's how we intended to be in the top many brought up to be in a scramble to the bookstores. The bite is a best-selling book in which he wrote and I quote I think of what you just heard from Fosdick is what he said it is critical that we speak. The pastors keep in mind that a fundamental principle of Christian communication. Is this the audience not the message is sovereign.

If our advertising. I guess he means our preaching is going to stop people in the midst of hectic schedules are message has to be adapted to the needs of the audience when we produce communication that is based on a take it or leave it proposition rather than on sensitivity to people's needs.

People are gonna reject our message and we don't want to be rejected and we don't want the message rejected and so we begin with their needs. We sort of slip in the gospel. Whatever you do.

In other words, remember the feelings of your audience are more important than delivering the truth to the audience and now you see why you end up with no sin, no judgment, no hell, no guilt, no wrath, just read the messages of Jesus Christ read his conversations.

One of the things that will strike you is how sensitive he was to the feelings of the Pharisees remember that time recall them a brood of butterflies away a brood of snakes I believe is what he said and now that is an twisted enough.

Barna goes on and those around them is not the only one to explain the apostle Paul felt this way.

I didn't know that well.

He writes Paul studied strategies and tactics that would enable him to attract the most prospects and realize the greatest number of conversions are you kidding let Paul speak for himself. When I came to you I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. In other words, I didn't come to you with a strategy or tactic to realize the greatest number of conversions he wrote further. For I determined not to know anything among you or to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling in my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God even when he went out and spoke to the philosophers. You could boil it down the basically I know what you believe your religious but you happen to be in trouble with God. He storing up his wrath.

Paul said to them, and it will come through this man, the God man who rose from the dead.

So you need to repent quite a strategy. That's why Paul ended up in jail.

There were so many death threats on his life that he narrowly escaped.

He was not received by his culture, nor was he appreciated, he says when I came to you. I didn't begin with your felt needs a begin with the character of Christ. What mattered most to me was not that I was relevant to you but that you were related to Jesus Christ. That's the most significant thing so I delivered to you the gospel of Christ's crucifixion. He said their first tributes to the rep's crucifixion. What is that that is the statement the Christ suffered the wrath of God on our behalf. The member in the garden, and I think is related to here, and in subtle implication as he talks about you will drink the cup of the wrath of God. Remember Jesus Christ in the garden said take this one from me. Take this cup because as a man, he fully understood the horror of the wrath of God the father and he referred to it as a cop, but praise God. Jesus Christ did in fact willingly take that cup and drink the wrath of God so that we never have to drink this cup that were told in Revelation chapter 14 will be drunk by those who do not believe.

I'm amazed now we hear the denial of church leaders and again it goes all the way back to the redefining of Scripture which leads you to be able to openly deny a man who said recently, a leader in the emergent church movement when somebody asks me if Christ is the only way to heaven is not the question you want to hear somebody say how to get to heaven is Christ the only way won't you say the word yes thank you I will with the rest of you say yes yes I Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. He said this when people asked me if Christ is the only way to heaven. I got a problem with that because that assumes the primary purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to get people to escape hell and take them to heaven. Of course it was. That was his primary purpose in coming to our why did he die so that you can escape how and go to heaven. Simple is that he said in fact himself.

I have come for this purpose. This is why I am here.

I came, I came to seek and to save those who are lost. Luke 19 verse 10 say this with this is this is radical truth in our generation. And I believe the fundamental truth of the gospel is been lost to stay with me for God so love the world are you ready to start again. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Why did whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Sounds like Christ came specifically to save us from hell and take us to heaven. How unique. Though is that gospel message today. Can there be anything greater than that message.

Salvation is personal.

You must accept Christ by faith in him alone just to salvation is personal so is the coming wrath of God for those who do not believe secondly that only is the wrath of the personal is terrible for Stan, he also will drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger. This is no doubt one of the most compact compressed sentences regarding the wrath of God found in all Scripture is wrath will come. It will be mixed in full strength. You understand that is it it it is unmixed. It is on diluted. Even the Romans in the days of Christ believe that if you drank wine unmixed you are barbaric, so they normally mixed it with one part of a great concentrate and three-part water. Here he says there's no dilution.

There's no watering down.

There is no mixing in the cup of wrath elements of mercy or compassion or or grace. No wonder David said on that day who may stand in your presence. When you are during some 76. The word John used here to refer to wrath is the is the Greek word for Thomas or anger I should say anger is for Thomas mixed in full strength in the cup of his through my thoughts.

That gives us or or or word of the basis of thermometer measures heat.

His anger is hot he is hot with anger. We can demonstrate elements of for Thomas as well. When the temperature rises right and we become angry. We save somebody's fuse is short and there's an explosion. Sure none of you here guilty of that this past week I saw a glimpse of this one afternoon I never got I was about 10 years old. I can still picture where I was standing beside on the side of the big 1 acre lot yard about two homes up from my house and then I was I was in trouble. I was in and in front a guy who was bigger than I was. At least ahead taller. He was stronger than I was. He was older than I was and I had somehow made a mad I'm sure I was delivering the gospel to them in some fashion but II made a really angry remember him cowering over me and I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. I was short for my age. For most of my young years, until about 11th grade in high school I just shot up as I was a little skinny, had a red here you use your imagination and I was in deep trouble and I don't know what happened but I just remember a ball of my fist in the next thing I know that big guy is holding his nose which is starting to bleed and was one of those awkward moments where I thought now would why do I could see in his eyes, nothing less than for Thomas into the Greek language about any that's what it was. As I begin to run and I ran across that lot and he was behind me. He was saying all sorts of un-biblical things about my future and I remember there was this chain-link fencing onto me as I was running barefoot across the yard and that about 4 feet high and in that sense was the only thing that separated me from a happy childhood and I needed to get over it and I don't even remember touching it.

I'm sure I leapfrogged and I was over he ran into it stop he lumbered over and then I was able to escape and live to be your pastor and listen let me tell you something you know just in the eyes of some person is angry you.

You don't want to be around the you know you want to be there when Thomas occurs can can you imagine for Thomas on diluted this rage from God in another wording he throws in their uses the word wrath you have anger and wrath. The word for wrath is or gay gives us our word orgy. It means saddled deliverance on the hinged wrath. That's the gospel. David said it well in Psalm two. Now, therefore, show discernment beast be smart do the smartest thing you could ever do what take morning worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling due homage to the son that he not become angry, and you perish in the way for his wrath may soon be kindled.

Many says how blessed are all who take refuge in him. That's both sides of the gospel you are in deep trouble with God and he is angry with you but right now. Now this is the day of grace take refuge in him, and escape the wrath of God wrongdoing now you will not outrun him later escape into him you will one day not be able to escape from him. His wrath is personal and it is is terrible. This is the gospel of the angel proportion of it. It's a different gospel from the messengers names like Metatron and others who bring messages of success in your own divinity in good times.

The world is followed and is following the voice of these false messages. These pseudo-pastor, these pseudo spiritual advisors and they will be led past the desert, which would be comforting. They will be led beyond into the chasm of hell forever.

See, this is the other side of the gospel, and it shouldn't be a secret. Follow the words of David, show discernment take warning. Give glory to God. Give your life to Christ. Given your sin will forgive you in this day of grant of grace. If you're if you're a believer.

This is this is the opportunity for us to reflect on the grace of God in our lives and thank him that he open our eyes, that the God of this world had blinded so that we might see the glorious gospel of Christ.

Let me invite you receive the pardon of Christ. If you don't have is yours.

Let me wrap things up quickly by taking you back in time to a scene still marks our system of jurisprudence with with some unique incidences in 1833 the US Supreme Court had to get involved with a rather interesting decision. It had to do with George Wilson and James Porter. They had to get a Rob the US mail train. They were caught were brought to trial they were sentenced to be hung by the neck until dead. James Porter went to the gallows first and was executed. George Wilson's friends interceded on his behalf and it went all the way up to the president and Pres. Andrew Jackson wrote a pardon pardoned issued a formal pardon the charges resulting in the death sentence were completely dropped. He would have to serve a prison term. But then he would be able to be released incredibly, George Wilson refused the pardon and a share of the note to do. You can't hang a pardon man, especially one pardoned by the president. So Wilson was returned to court as they attempted to force him to acknowledge and accept the pardon upon them, and he refused.

He said I don't want it went all the way up to the Supreme Court.

I was able to read some of the core documents there are available to the public. It was recorded. The Wilson chose to my quote wave and declined any advantage or protection which might be supposed to arise from the pardon referred to always and I don't want the Atty. Gen. argued for the supreme court and he made this comment made audible give you one sentence he said this, the courts cannot give the prisoner benefit of the pardon until he claims the benefit of the case was argued and it was decided Supreme Court justice John Marshall wrote the opinion get along opinion. I'll give you two sentences quote a pardon is a deed to the validity of which delivery is essential and delivery is not completed without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered and if it be rejected. We have no power in a court to force it upon George Wilson was hung by the neck until the wrath of God revealed by this angel that will warn the world you have the benefit of hearing his warning receive the pardon in and through Christ given everything of yourself and see from him.

Everything of himself said free. The good news of the gospel is that you can be spared the wrath of God by responding in faith to the truth of God's word. While God's wrath would be terrible for you if you were to experience it.

It won't be a surprise. Or at least not anymore. Now you're aware of what God's word says and if you've never responded in faith to the gospel. I hope you will today we have a resource that can help you if you go to our website wisdom online.org there's a menu item at the top that says about and one of the options there is our presentation of the gospel called God's wisdom for your heart. That presentation is also on the home screen of the wisdom international smart phone app.

I encourage you to read and share that presentation.

God's wisdom for your hearts you've been listening to wisdom for the heart. A ministry of wisdom international in the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey, in addition to this daily Bible teaching program. Stephen also has books and other resources designed to equip and encourage you.

We recently received a supply of Stephen's latest book, its volume 10, in his wisdom commentary series, a book called first through third John and is available right now at a special price look for it in our website or call us today at 86 648 Bible. That's 86 648 Bible or 866-482-4253 I'm Scott Wiley and I thank you for listening. Please join us at the same time tomorrow.

Stephen continues through this study from Revelation right here on wisdom