Our text speaks of little wrath and of great wrath, the little wrath of divine chastisement and the great wrath of divine judgment. So the title of my message is Little Wrath and Great Wrath. I want, by the help of God's Spirit, to help you to make sense of and understand the trials you endure as a believer.
1. The fact is God's saints in this world are often greatly tried and afflicted.
It is not uncommon for believers to have in this life a far greater amount of sorrow adversity, and inward as well as outward turmoil than the unbeliever. (Job – Job 1; David – Ps. 73). William Cowper expressed what I am trying to say perfectly in one of his hymns –
That which we suffer by the hand of God is as much a part of our heritage and proof of our adoption as our faith in Christ (Phil. 1:29).
2. Our comfort, in the midst of our trials and afflictions is that they arise not from the penal wrath of God's justice, but from the loving care of his heart (Heb. 12:5-12).
There is no anger or judicial punishment involved in divine chastisement. The Lord Jesus Christ, as our penal substitute, has borne and satisfied all the fury of God's wrath and justice for us – (Isa. 53:1-12).
3. Remember, the words of this text are addressed to believers, not to believers and to their children only if they too are believers. If you are not a believer, if you are yet without Christ, be assured, my friend, the wrath of God is upon you! Your trials here, your sorrows in this world, are but a very small foretaste of the fury of God's wrath awaiting you in hell!
Proposition:
Our text is an affirmation of God's grace and mercy to his people, when their experiences indicate nothing but his wrath and displeasure.
Divisions:I want to talk to you tonight about two things:
1. The Little Wrath of Divine Chastisement which Every Believer Must Experience In This World.
2. The Great Wrath of Divine Punishment which No Believer Can Ever Experience, Neither in The World Nor in The World To Come.
I. First, our Holy Lord God speaks of The Little Wrath of Divine Chastisement Which Every Believer Must Experience In This World.
Notice how the Lord speaks of our earthly woes, Our trials and troubles come to us as a result of what God calls "a little wrath." Their duration he says is but "a moment," "a small moment." There are several important lessons in these words of our God. (vv. 7-8).
A. God never forsakes his elect but it often appears that he does.
The Lord God says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5). Yet, he hides his face from us, withdraws from us the sense of his presence; and that to the sensitive heart is a heavy, heavy trial (Song 5:2; Lam. 3:1-26).
Why, then does he withdraw from us? Why does he hide himself from the people he loves?
Indeed, in almost all things, our view and God's view are different! But we are talking about our trials. So let me stay with our subject. We think and feel as if we have been utterly forsaken, when in reality the only forsaking is done by us, not to us! If God hides his face for "a moment," we think he is clean gone forever! We are so foolish and unbelieving that we can judge nothing right. We must try to learn to see things as God sees them and judge things as God judges them even our trials.
1. Our trials will not last long –They are only momentary, "For a small moment!"
C. Try to remember this I know you believe it; but try to remember it. Fatherly chastisement is consistent with and an evidence of true love – (Heb. 12:5-12).
D. Once more, I want you to see that the little wrath we suffer in our chastisements does not change our relationship to the Lord in the least.
I'll tell you something I have discovered more often than not, I have found that the darkness of sorrow has been the shadow of God's wing as he drew near to bless. I have not yet had a trouble or trial for which I am not now grateful. Someone said, "We cannot have fertilizing showers on the earth without a clouded heaven above. It is thus with our trials."
II. Secondly, our text speaks of great wrath, The Great Wrath of Divine Punishment Which No Believer Can Ever Experience Neither In This World Nor In The World To Come – (vv. 9-10).
A. The wrath of God, the penal wrath of God for the punishment of sin, can no more be visited upon his people than the floods of Noah can return to the earth. We should no more fear the return of God's wrath than we do another deluge.
1. God will never be wrath with his people – No Cause!
2. He will never rebuke his elect – No Cause! Not even in judgment! NOT HERE! NOT HEREAFTER!
3. We have his oath for it!
4. We have his covenant for it!
B. The great flood of God's holy wrath was poured out upon Christ our Substitute, when he was made to be sin for us; therefore it can never reach us.
C. These words of grace are spoken to us by "The Lord that hath mercy on thee" (v. 10).
1. It is the height of wickedness to doubt his faithfulness!
2. The security of every believer is a matter beyond all dispute. Nothing in me caused his mercy. Nothing in me can destroy it.
3. How glorious is the kindness of God to us sinners in his unrelenting forgiveness and grace!
4. How careful we should be to honor him!
If you would be free from the wrath of The Holy Lord God, you must take refuge in Christ the Lord.
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