Ephesians 1 : 3 - 8, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace... NKJV
Do you really believe the Word of God when you read in it that He loves you? One of the most well-known scriptures of all time is about the love God has for the world and how He demonstrated that love through Jesus on the cross. Nevertheless, many people believe that God either hates them or is angry at them. Therefore, we need to answer the question, "Why do so many people believe that God is angry with them?"
Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the carnal mind is an enemy of God; it is our fallen nature that is at odds with God and defies His authority. Therefore, we can say God loves the sinner; but He hates the sin nature that was introduced to man in the Garden of Eden when the serpent beguiled or deceived Eve into believing God had rejected her. It was one lie from Satan that convinced Eve to sin against God; however, it is easy to see with just one example how Satan instigated the separation of man from God through that lie.
Today, let's look at God's heart from a biblical perspective as it pertains to sinners, and let's see if it gives us the same view that the world would have us believe about Him. Shortly after man sinned, we read that God killed an innocent animal in order to cover the nakedness and shame of fallen man. Does this sound like a wrathful God to you? Instead of condemning Adam, Eve, and all their descendants to eternal damnation, God took the life of an innocent animal and covered them; this demonstrated His love for man, even though they had fallen from His grace, and they were naked and ashamed. This is the first sign or prophetic story that portrays the future sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, who would die in man's place. Does this sound like God is mad at us? Certainly not!
Let's fast-forward to the time of Moses. Israel was in Egypt for 400 years; and God heard the cries of His people and saw their afflictions. This situation symbolizes us being sinners in the world and under the rule of Satan, and of God sending His deliverer into the world to save us. Just before God delivered the nation of Israel, He instructed Moses to have the people kill lambs and to apply the blood of those lambs to the doorposts and lintels of their homes to protect them from the death angel who was about to sweep through the land.
You can see that God wasn't angry at His people; He sacrificed hundreds of lambs to protect them. However, He destroyed the first- born males of the Egyptians. It might sound as if God was angry at Pharaoh and the Egyptians..., and it does appear to be that way from a human perspective; but remember, Pharaoh represented the defiant, sin nature that opposes the heart of God and His love, and, which sought to enslave and destroy God's chosen people. The Egyptians suffered God's wrath because of their rebellious ways and their idolatry. It was what they represented that brought the wrath of God on them.
If God is so angry at people, then how do we explain the cross where He gave His ONLY begotten Son to die in our place? Lest you think that I'm teaching a slanted view of God, let me conclude with these final thoughts. It's true that God has wrath stored up. It's also true that God hates SIN, not sinners. Even so, it is also TRUE that God's wrath against mankind has been forever appeased in Christ. So if you have accepted Christ, you will never experience the WRATH of God. Hebrews tells us in very plain terms that we are appointed unto salvation and not wrath. If anyone should harden their heart against Jesus and decide to reject the gift of eternal life, which He died to give to us freely, then we can know that they WILL experience God's wrath. However, it won't be because God didn't love them; it will be because they wouldn't submit to His WAY of redeeming them from sin.
Therefore, the spirit of rebellion that they have chosen to align themselves with will cause them to suffer His wrath. It's a spirit that brings on the wrath of God, and it's called rebellion... the rejection of God, His truth and His love. Are you submitted in your heart to God? If not, then today can be the day that you overcome the greatest enemy of your soul and live forever apart from God's wrath. Simply bow your heart and head before God, and ask Him to forgive you for Christ's sake; and He will do just that. Ask Jesus to be your Savior and LORD and to fill your heart with His love for God and mankind. If you did this, then you have been saved from God's wrath and from eternal damnation. Let us know if you prayed the prayer of surrender to the Lord so that we can rejoice with you.
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Yes Jesus Loves Me,
Pastor Asa Dockery
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