SCRIPTURE: Psalm (NIV) 30:4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
OBSERVATION: What a wonderful God we serve. His anger flows from His love, for those who do not love do not have as much capacity for anger. Perhaps it could be said that love lends it strength to anger. When someone hurts the ones I deeply love, I become very angry. When someone hurts ones I do not love very much, I do not become as angry. If I am full of self-love, I will become very angry when I do not get my way. On the other hand, if I love God deeply, I will become very angry when He is mistreated. (Jesus became angry when people misused His Father’s house.)
APPLICATION: Does God get angry? He certainly does. God is love. He loves intensly. His anger is hot. We see his anger expressed at people who mistreated Israel. I believe His anger at the way people have treated the Son He so loves will cause the half hour of silence in heaven.
However His anger does not last forever! Praise the Lord! Anger subsides when the situation has been properly settled, and on the cross, God provided the perfect/only solution for sin. He provided a way for forgiveness to be offered without making excuses for sin. He provided a way for forgiveness without making little of sin. He did not say, “Forget about it.” He did not say, “That’s nothing.” He did say, “That is terrible, but I will pay a sufficient price!”
And so, His anger lasted but a moment. It was poured out on Jesus. Jesus was forsaken when he became sin and hung upon the cross.
But for those who reject God’s gracious offer of forgiveness, they will experience his anger for all eternity. Even in heaven there will be 30 minutes of silence. (Revelation 8:1) I tend to believe that it will be a time of God’s anger at a world which rejected the One He loved and sent.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and accept the payment you made on the cross as the payment for my sins. I set you as the Lord of my life. Amen
Pastor Leon
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