Sermon #
180 Series: Isaiah
Title: Little Wrath and Great Wrath
Text: Isaiah 54:7-10
Subject: Merciful Chastisement and Absolute Pardon
Date: Sunday Evening – May 15,
1994
Introduction:
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 –
“Tis my happiness below
Not to live without the cross,
But the Savior’s power to know,
Sanctifying every less.
Trials must and will befall;
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all,
This is happiness to me.
God in Israel sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain and toil;
These spring up and choke the words
Which would else O’er spread the soil.
Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there.
Did I meet no trials here,
No chastisements by the way,
Might I not, with reason, fear
I should prove a castaway?
Bastards may escape the rod,
Sunk in earthly, vain delight,
But the true born child of God
Must not, would not, if he might.”
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:
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 love 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).
“How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see,
Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers
Have all lost their sweetness to me.
The mid-summer seen shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay.
But when I am happy in Him,
December’s as pleasant as May!”
Why, then does
he withdraw from us? Why does he hide
himself from the people he loves?
B. Our view of our trials and God’s view are different.
Indeed, in
almost all things, our view and God’s view one 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!”
2. The recompense for our momentary trials is great.
3. The wrath we have to endure is little. How
tenderly Jehovah speaks, even when he speaks of his rod of correction ‘ “a
little wrath.” That is the wrath of…
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).
The
chastened child is the beloved child.
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.
1. He is still our God; and we are still his
people.
2. He is still our Redeemer; and we are still
redeemed.
3. He is still our Husband; and we are still
his wife.
4. He is still the Holy One of Israel; and we
are still his saints.
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 do us
sinners in his unrelenting forgiveness and grace!
4. How careful we should be to honor him!
Application:
If
you would be free from the wrath of the holy Lord God, you must take refuge in
Christ the Lord.