The Love Of God
If you’ve heard me open-air preaching before, I’m sure a lot of you think I talk too much about the wrath of God. I do talk about God’s wrath. It is true, it is real and you need to hear about it. The wrath of God is what awaits all unrepentant sinners who die in their sins without Jesus Christ the Lord and God’s wrath lasts forever. But so does the love of God.
God’s love is eternal. You see, both are equally true. Unrepentant sinners suffer God’s righteous anger over their rebellion for all eternity. Those of us who repent and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ receive God’s love not only in this life, but will do so forever.
Both God’s wrath and God’s love are true. The reason I talk about God’s wrath so much is because most people are loping through life with no idea that God is angry with them. Most of you that are not followers of Jesus don’t realize that God hate’s all workers of iniquity. Most unrepentant sinners don’t understand that God is angry with them.
God’s Enemy
Furthermore, most unbelievers don’t recognize that they have made themselves God’s enemy (Colossians 1:21). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).
These should be scary thoughts. That God hates you, God’s angry with you and that you have made yourself God’s enemy. It should shake you to where you need to sit down because you can’t continue walking under the weight of such knowledge, but most unbelievers will just keep ignoring the truth. In fact, many will continue suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and even foolishly continue claiming there is no God (Romans 1:18).
I speak of the wrath of God most weeks because it is the truth and most people will foolishly ignore the warning. But what kind of Christian would I be if I knew you were heading toward danger and said nothing? For example, let’s say the sidewalk collapsed in front of you and you are walking along looking at your phone, not paying any attention. You are about to step right off into the sinkhole with your next step.
Love Warns
Wouldn’t the most loving thing I could do would be to warn you? Don’t you think I should yell and even try to grab your arm to pull you away to safety? Wouldn’t it be cruel if I just watched, maybe even smiled and waved to you and suggested you have a pleasant day? How could you have a pleasant day when you are seconds away from dying?
If warning you of imminent physical danger is important, how much more important is it for me to warn you about the eternal danger that you are heading toward? Hell is real and it’s a really awful place. Jesus spoke about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible. He describes it as a place where there’s wailing and gnashing of teeth. It’s a place where people have no rest day or night. Hell is a place where the torments go on forever.
Hell is where all of us deserve to go. We have all sinned against God and we’ve all said no to God and yes to our own way. Just like Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way.” Everyone that is not a follower of Jesus is still doing things their own way. We deserve eternal punishment, everlasting damnation for rebellion against God. For rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what all of us really deserve.
God Is Love
But God is love and because of His great love, He sent His only begotten Son to take the place of guilty sinners. Jesus, left His throne in Heaven and came to this earth 2,000 years ago. He was born of the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He always did the will of God the Father.
Jesus was obedient unto death, even death on the cross. The Lord Jesus never sinned, yet He was beaten beyond recognition. Jesus was nailed to the old rugged cross. While He hung there for six long torturous hours, He endured God’s wrath over sin. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God. Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross; was buried and rose from the grave three days later.
Think about this. God poured His anger over sin out upon His own Son. His own sinless Son. Why would God do this? Why would Jesus endure unimaginable pain and suffering? Out of Love. Our rebellion separates us from God. Sin separates us from God. If you die as an unrepentant sinner, then you will be separated from the love of God for all eternity. You will suffer the torments of Hell forever.
The Love Of God
But the love of God is why He sent Jesus to take the punishment that we deserve. Jesus willingly took the punishment that we might receive eternal life. Folks, this is love. This is love like you’ve never experienced before. Jesus took your place, He took the brunt of God’s anger over your sins and He gives you His righteousness.
That is, if you repent and surrender your life to Him. It is the great exchange. Jesus takes your sins while He hung on the cross and He gives you His righteousness. His perfection, His total obedience to God the Father. We aren’t righteous, but Jesus is. It takes perfect righteousness to be in the presence of God in His Holiness. The Lord Jesus is the only Righteous One who can take away your sins, who can make you right with God.
Oh, receive the love of God. Recognize that you are a sinner. Confess and forsake your sins. Cry out for God to have mercy upon you. Repent from your sins and put your faith in Jesus. Trust in Christ alone. Trust in His finished work on the cross.
Right before Jesus died on the cross He said “it is finished.” He finished the work of salvation. You and I cannot work our way to Heaven. We can’t earn salvation. It is a free gift from God. Jesus did the work, all the work of salvation to the very end. It is finished.
Oh Don’t Continue With God’s Anger Against You
Don’t go through life with God’s anger against you. Don’t go through all eternity with God’s wrath not only against you, but being poured out upon you. People in Hell are suffering torments right now and will do so forever. Don’t join them. Don’t die in your sins and split Hell wide open. Receive the love of God. Receive eternal life and that’s found in Jesus Christ alone. Repent and believe the Gospel.
Your sins can be forgiven. Your guilty conscience can be cleared. Yes, your sins can be cast as far as the East is from the West. Your sins can be washed white as snow. But you must receive salvation. Repent from your sins and put your trust in Jesus. Do this today and be saved.
Come to Jesus and be saved. Receive the love of God, love like you’ve never know. Please listen to the following Bible verses about the love of God. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9).
God Is Love
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (Psalm 36:7). For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee (Psalm 86:5). But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth (Psalm 86:15).
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endures for ever (Psalm 136:26). The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:1-5).
God Demonstrated His Love
But God commended (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).
There are many other Bible verses concerning the love of God, but I hope I’ve shared enough with you here to see that God is love. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God is a loving God, but you must receive salvation. John 3:16 states that God gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.
Are you a whosoever? I’m a whosoever, are you? Have you repented from your sins and believed the Gospel? If not, then you are outside the love of God tonight. Repent and trust in the Lord Jesus and be saved. Receive salvation. Receive the love of God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on October 19, 2018)