God's Wrath Turned Into Love

Intro: There is so much misunderstanding and misinformation about God. Why did God do this? Some think God is just waiting for us to mess up so He can club us. We can never grow in our relationship with God and receive His fullest blessings until we have cleared our minds of any confusion and false information. I believe we need to hear what God has to say about Himself in His word, the bible. It has been taught by some that God gets angry or mad at you and punishes you. You will not find that in the new Testament. Jesus took God's wrath against us upon Himself when He went to the cross. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Propitiation speaks of the satisfaction of God’s holy wrath.

O.T. God did get angry at His people and punished them because they disobeyed Him and they were under the dispensation of law. There was no mercy at that time. Thank God we are not under law but grace. Romans 6:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. People abuse the passage of scripture found in Hebrews 12:10-11 (NLT) that says ¹⁰ For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. Chasten- restrain, subdue,whip,train, correct.
¹¹ No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Sickness is not for discipline, if it is, we shouldn't try to get well because that would mean we were fighting God's will for our lives. You don't discipline your children that way. If we are God's child, He is never angry at us. His Spirit is quenched and grieved by our sinful actions. We should not do those things we know bring sorrow to God's heart. We will never be condemned or judged for our sins if we are His child, saved by Jesus.

 God is never angry at us, only sinners. John 3:17-18 (NKJV) ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 (NKJV) ³⁶ He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Sinners [those without Christ] have already been judged guilty, they are under God's wrath- angry judgment!

1. Listen to how God deals with His people through the apostle James who was the Lord's half-brother. James 1:13-18 (NLT) ¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. ¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. ¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. ¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Discipline is from God, sickness is not, according to God's word. Acts 10:38 (NLT) ³⁸ And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

God also has this to say about His relationship to His children in the 8^th chapter of Romans.

Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV)
³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
³³ Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶ As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

From these scriptures we understand that God's love is always with us and we shall never be separated from it. When we don't understand and want to get angry and blame someone, let it be the one who deserves it, the devil himself.

God is not the problem, the devil and sin is! Let's get rid of both in our lives! Let's live for Jesus and try to get as close to Him and the Father as we can by praying, reading and studying God's word and then by living in obedience to God's word.

Invitation: If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you, do it now. Life is short and eternity is long. Where will you spend it? If Jesus is your Savior you are in the hands of God and no one can take you out!