YOU ARE THE AIR I BREATHE

“Tell me what can I do?

I can’t live without You, I can’t breathe without You!

There’s no me without You!

I tried, to make it on my own! But I failed!

Tell me what can I do?

I can’t live without You, I can’t breathe without You!

There’s no me without You!

Jesus!!!

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21)

A young man from our church sent me his testimony. As you can see, the evil spirit of religion has lost his grip on him. He has been delivered and became a new creation. This is purely the deep work of God the Holy Spirit! It is an encouragement to continue to pray for revival. To God be all the glory!

“Dear Malia, on June 27th 2015, I got into a religious crap that makes me think that i was born again. And all through these years I have follow this false impression that I was born again. When ever any one ask me if I’m born again, I just stammer before I reply( no conviction). Fast forward to on Sunday 23rd march 2021, after the sermon, I was feeling ok. Then I heard a voice saying “My son, how long will you continue in this blind walk”. Immediately, I ran down the auditorium. For the first time I CONFESS CHRIST AS MY LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR.

I declare that in Christ:

I’M A CHILD OF GOD! I HAVE PEACE! I HAVE JOY!”

GOD’S GLORY OVER OUR CHURCH

This evening dark clouds gathered over our church. It seems that a storm was coming. I took my umbrella and I went to see the brethren who work at the generator house. We encouraged ourselves with the Word of God. Then we started to praise God with Nigerian choruses. Suddenly, I turned and saw that the dark cloud have changed color and became golden. It was the same cloud but now it looks so different. I took this picture at about 6:50pm. You can see the moon too, shy, not able to compare with the glory displayed! What I see is that God smiles over us. He inhabits the praises of His people! You can never praise God too much! Another lesson is this: the day may start with a storm but God can change it into a smile of victory ‘in a twinkling of an eye’. I believe in miracles! Glory!

“God’s anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5)

Praise the Lord somebody!

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL (37) THE DOCTRINE OF HELL  

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching from the Book of Romans. The title of her sermon was ‘The Doctrine of the Wrath of God’ (4). Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans chapter 1. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:16-25)

The doctrine of Hell is the most terrible doctrine of all. The natural man hates it. Most preachers avoid it. But we must not be ignorant of it. We must preach the whole counsel of God and warn men about this place called hell. The word or concept of hell appears 162 times in the New Testament (70 times out of these, it was spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ). Based on these numbers alone, we must study this difficult doctrine.

Hell is a place of total, conscious and eternal separation from God and His blessings. It is a place of torment. The word ‘torment’ means an extreme mental and physical suffering, mixed with pain and fear (1 John 4:18). All people on earth, they go to either heaven or hell. There is no middle ground. Everyone has but one life to live on earth. The purpose of this life is to find God, find Jesus Christ and surrender to Him. It is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that anyone can escape hell and go to heaven. There is no other option by which a man or woman can go to heaven. Faith in Christ is the Key and the only Key! Originally, hell was designed by God for the devil and his demons. After the fall of man, all who reject Christ and follow the devil will also go to hell. All unbelievers go to where they wanted to go. They rejected God! They must go to hell where they will never see God again! Even if they pray in hell, nobody will answer their prayers! Hell is a conscious torment. Like the rich man who died and went to Hades, people in hell will remember their lives on earth (Lk 16:22-24). All unbelievers who go to hell will become ‘believers’ for now they finally see that Jesus is the Lord! But it is too late! They cannot change their status. Their choice is eternal and irreversible! Hell is a place of total darkness, similar with the plague in Egypt, where darkness could be ‘felt’ (Ex 10:21). Hell is a place of terrible weeping, wailing noise. The souls in hell weep (because of un-ending pain) and ‘gnash their teeth’ (a sign of regret and hopelessness).  Weeping and gnashing of teeth have one thing in common—the undeniable fact that those who do not belong to Christ will suffer a terrible fate, while God’s children will enjoy bliss in heaven with Him forever. Hell will be a place of anguish, remorse, pain, and misery. It reveals hurt beyond repair, extreme frustration, and hopeless pain. It seems that there are different levels of torment in hell. Pride has the highest torment (Mt 10:15). There is no rest in hell, no worship, no singing, no hope! What a fearful place! Every pain or suffering we experience on earth, a headache or a toothache, is a little ‘sample’ or what hell could be. It is a warning also, that we may repent and run to Jesus while there is time!    

There are many wrong, unbiblical doctrines about hell. Some say that the unbeliever goes to a waiting place called ‘purgatory’. If his family on earth can intercede for him and pay some offerings to the church, that one can be translated from purgatory to heaven. This is a wrong doctrine. No change can happen after death. Others say that all people are God’s creation and therefore, they will all go to heaven where God is. This error is called ‘universalism’. Another wrong doctrine is called ‘Anihilism’. People believe that an unbeliever will be annihilated, completely destroyed after he dies, just like an animal. They say that God is too good to send people to hell. These are all wrong doctrines.

In the Bible, there is a place called ‘Hades’ (or Sheol). When a believer dies, he goes straight to heaven to meet the Lord. Absent from the body, it means present with the Lord (2Cor 5:8). But when an unbeliever dies, he goes to a place called ‘hades’, which is a hell like prison, where he will wait until the final judgment. At last, all unbelievers, death itself and the devil himself will be cast out into Hell fire. That is called the second death (Lk 16:22-24; Rev 20:10-14; 21:8).  

150,000 people die every day throughout the world. Study the Word about hell. It will help you hate sin as God hates it! The doctrine of hell should help us in our sanctification and doing evangelism. The demons believe in hell more than men do. They know that they will be tormented forever in the future (Mt 8:28, 29). These are some of the scriptures that refer to hell: Matthew 3:7-12; 5:21, 22; 5:27-30; 7:13, 14; 19, 20; 8:12. 28. 29; 10:23, 24; 12:31, 32; 13:37-51; 18:8, 9, 34; 22:13; Luke 16:22-24…

Finally, as believers, we should be encouraged. Nothing replaces the Word of God! In good times and bad, praying on top of the mountain or in the deepest valley, the Word of God is life to us! For Christ’ sake, every child of God is saved from the wrath of God and hell. Jesus died on the Cross to be the Propitiation, to appease God’s wrath. By faith in Christ Crucified and Resurrected, we are now free. This is the power of the Gospel! Heaven is our destiny and our final eternal destination. “For God has not destined us to [incur His] wrath [that is, He did not select us to condemn us], but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died [willingly] for us, so that whether we are awake (alive) or asleep (dead) [at Christ’s appearing], we will live together with Him [sharing eternal life]. Therefore, encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing” (1 Thess 5:9-11; AMP). Dear child of God, there is light at the end of the tunnel! We have suffered many things in this world. But in Christ, we are saved forever! No more fear! No more doubts! If you are a believer, give thanks to God! You will never go to this fearful place called hell! But if you are not saved, don’t waste time! Give your life to Christ! Now! Oh, how sweet to know Jesus, as my Savior and my Lord! “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, all the day long!”  Give thanks to God! “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:4, 5). Child of God, please be encouraged today! Weeping is over! JOY COMES! JOY COMES! Worship the Lord!  

This is Father’s House Bible Church, Effurun, Warri. This is how our sanctuary looked exactly 8 years ago (22-05-2013). I took this picture before we added the roof. You can feel the joy of the brethren and the hope of glory! I still remember how tired but also, how happy Tali was at the end of each day! Tali has now a great reward in heaven! Glory to God! The Holy Spirit has been with us from the beginning! He will guide us to eternity! To God alone be all the glory! Jesus Christ is Lord!

The Holy Spirit gives me joy every day thru beautiful happy plants and flowers in our garden. I really believe these are gifts to me from the Lover of my soul! I appreciate His tender care for me! Praise the Lord somebody!!!

“Awake north Wind! And come south Wind! Blow on my garden that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my Lover come into His garden and taste its choice fruits!” (Song 4:16)

THE PICTURE OF WORSHIP AND FAITH!

DEAR SISTER, LET IT BE DONE ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH!

(This lady was praying during the Sunday service yesterday in our church)

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL (36)

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching from the Book of Romans. The title of her sermon was ‘The Doctrine of the Wrath of God’ (3). Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans chapter 1. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:16-25)

The wrath of God is God’s view or sin; God’s hatred of sin; God’s punishment of sin! The word ‘wrath’ means justified anger, and hatred; a passion that leads to punishment. God is Holy! God is Love! God protects His Glory! God hates anything that tries to damage His Holiness, His Love and His Glory! That is why God hates sin! God’s wrath against sin is a manifestation of His jealous love toward His people! Therefore, to protect His glory and His people, God must punish sin! The Gospel is power because it reveals the wrath of God. The Gospel also reveals the imputed righteousness of Christ received by us thru faith. Both this righteousness and the wrath of God were best manifested at the Cross of Calvary. Both are revealed in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit! You cannot argue with unbelievers about the wrath of God or the salvation in Christ. They need God’s revelation. The word revelation means an unveiling; removing the cover and expose something behind it. Darkness and blindness are removed. The light of God must shine upon the object. “Once I was blind, but now I see…” This is called revelation!

The natural men hate this doctrine. They imagine that God is a God of love who will not punish anybody. Man hates discipline and obeying any law. Paul introduced the doctrine of the wrath of God against sin from the first chapter of Romans. The preaching of the wrath of God is foundational in preaching the Gospel. All evangelism must start with preaching the sinfulness of sin, and God’s wrath against it. Never start with man’s needs. Do not even start with Jesus! Always start with God the Father! He invented the plan of salvation! Always start with God and His glory! Many Christians ignore this doctrine. They say they believe it, but they deny it in practice. Many preachers ignore it too. They fear that people will leave their churches. But truth must be preached! Romans 1 reveals two problems: the wrath of God and the sinfulness of sin. One of the major problems in the church is that men ‘come to Jesus’ as a Friend, Helper or Healer. They do not come to Him as hopeless desperate sinners going to hell. The preachers make it too easy for people to be saved. They do not tell sinners that God is angry with sin and He will surely punish sin! To say that you are converted, and you do not have the fear of God, that is a lie!

The doctrine of Justification by Faith is the major doctrine of salvation. God the Father designed it. The Son executed it and the Holy Spirit applies it to our understanding. This is the Gospel and its power: Jesus died on the Cross to appease the wrath of God and to save sinners. Jesus said: ‘It is finished’. You must believe and receive the finished work of Christ! By faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross you become FORGIVEN, CLOTHED IN HIS imputed Righteousness and ACCPETED in the Beloved! Faith is not just something you think about. Faith is always relational. Faith connects with the Truth. Faith ‘marries’ truth. Faith is never alone. Faith sees, acknowledge, goes closer and embraces (becomes one) with the truth. Then faith and truth produce fruits, to the glory of God!
The ‘wrath of God is revealed from heaven’. God is angry with the sinners because ‘they suppress the truth in unrighteousness’. To suppress it means to prevent the growth of something by force; to stop something from manifesting using violence. Sinners sell the truth and buy lies. They reject the Glorious, incorruptible, indestructible God for things that are much inferior. The result of this terrible ‘exchange’ manifests as follows:*Men are not ‘thankful’. They are selfish and proud. The hardest word for a proud man is to say: “I am sorry… Thank you”.*They thoughts are futile (useless, having no effect, achieving nothing). God gave us brains to think about Him, about His Word and Glory. Idolatry makes the mind useless, reduces it to the level of an animal. *Foolish hearts are darkened. A dark heart is depressed, confused, and anxious. *They are Deceived. They think that they are wise. Idolatry means making your own God so that you can control it. You do not need to obey, and you are not afraid of him. They become liars, deceivers and at last, they become slaves to men and demons! God gives them up to what they wanted. It is a terrible think for God to give you up to your selfish, wicked lusts. May God have mercy on us! May the fear of God descend upon us!
Man is a spirit, has a soul and lives in a body. Each has its function and purpose given by God. The spirit, because it is from God, has the highest value. Next to it, is his soul, made of mind, emotions and will. The least valuable is the body, made from the same elements as the earth. Sin makes man spiritually imbalanced, spiritually cripple. This means some things are too much and others are too little. There is no symmetry, no right proportion, no beauty. Salvation in Christ changes this. It brings the God given balance to man. Man becomes beautiful again!

The greatest gift given to man is his mind. He must use it to think spiritually, to understand God. “WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND and PURPOSES OF THE LORD, SO AS TO INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes]” (1 Cor 2:16; AMP). Once man understands the Word, the emotions follow. Then he can use his will and make correct decisions in life. This is the godly pattern of the believer. But sin has damaged this delicate spiritual process. Sinful man is guided by emotions first. He moves by what he sees and likes. Walking ‘by sight’ is sin! Walking blindly ‘by sight’, man tries to rationalize his sin. The will is weakened already and must please the emotions, the lust of the eyes and of the flesh. This emotional leading is bondage. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19).
Why did men reject Jesus? They did not think! They did not try to understand Him and His words. They ‘loved darkness’. They loved ignorance, unbelief, rebellion, foolishness, and the wickedness of sin. Their emotions guided them. That is why God gave them over to the darkness they loved. Faith is Jesus is light, freedom, mercy and grace of salvation! Glory! Worship the Lord!

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them” (Col 3:18, 19)

The Bible has clear marriage guidelines. These commands apply only to the believers. An unbeliever may read them and try to apply Biblical precepts to make his marriage better, but he cannot really obey the Word of God. For us, the children of God, the Bible is our Life Manual. The Word of God is written to us, sinners who are saved by grace. In the marriage set up, there are two basic rules: The wives submit to their own husbands (as Christ submitted to God the Father). Secondly, the husbands must love their wives, not their own way, but ‘as Christ loves the church’ (Eph 5:25). The husband and wife are equal before God. Their salvation experience is the same. But in the area of marriage these simple rules must be obeyed: wives submit and husbands love! Both these actions are first of all spiritual and they must glorify Christ, our Lord! The submission and the love are inspired by Jesus Christ and must give Him alone the glory! The Holy Spirit gives both the husband and wife the power to obey.

In the scripture above there is another element. It says that the husbands should love their wives and ‘do not become bitter towards them’. This is a special warning giving to the married men. Please pray for understanding! It means that the husband must recognize the tendency to become bitter against their loving wives. They must fight the strange temptation to become bitter as husbands at home. This is a warning. What does this bitterness mean? Bitterness is chronic unrepentant anger. It is a terrible thing, an emotion very difficult to bear. A root of bitterness ‘defiles many’ and fights against the grace of God in marriage (Heb 12:15). Marital bitterness poisons the whole home and makes everybody miserable. A bitter person makes others sad or angry. When you see a man or a woman afraid to marry, it is because they have experienced this bitter taste in a previous relationship. To them, marriage is like drinking poison every day, like having an incurable disease, with no hope of being happy ever again. That is why they prefer staying single. Bitterness causes piercing, sharp emotional pain, like the sting of a wasp. The wounds of bitter words are long lasting and difficult to forgive or forget. A bitter husband is harsh, hot tempered, holds grudges, is mean, greedy, hard hearted, stubborn and difficult to teach. In Nigeria people say that ‘love has become sour’. As a pastor I counsel many women who suffer terribly in a marriage with a bitter man who discourages them to be happy. Only God can help!

This tendency to bitterness is more common to husbands but it can be found in all careless relationships. What is the cause of this bitterness found in some husbands? The main cause I see is disappointment with their wives. At the beginning they love their wives. No bitter man wants to marry. To marry, you need to be happy. Love comes before bitterness. But this is the danger: It is possible for a man to truly love his wife at the beginning of the marriage, but later, he becomes bitter towards (or against) her. It is like a good fruit that becomes rotten with time. Why? What causes this change from good to bad? Thru prayers and the study of the Word I discovered that husbands become bitter towards their wives, when the wives fail to meet up with their husbands’ expectations, their ever growing spiritual and physical needs. This problem may be hidden when they are young and they are still busy ‘making money and rising children’. But after some time, the husband may desire to become more spiritual, to draw closer to God. He may desire that they should improve their standard of living. If the wife is ignorant of the source of this ‘midlife crisis’, as some call it, the husband will become disappointed in her. He will resent her words. He will complain against her choices. This bitterness may manifest itself in one particular, small area. For example, he says: ‘My wife is a good woman. She works hard. She is a good mother to our children. I love her very much. But… she does not respect me… she talks too much… she spends too much money on nonsense…’ These excuses are not big enough to make a husband so bitter but if the wife does not try to better understand him, he will begrudge her silently in his heart. He will compare her with other women he starts to admire silently. That is the seed of marital bitterness. In a way, both of them are guilty. The bitter husband has tried, but failed, to help the wife grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally. She is left behind, like the statue of a bride, smiling on her wedding day, but the dress is now thorn and faded, the artificial lashes fallen on her wrinkled cheeks… They are still living together but the sweet wine of early romantic love has gone, leaving behind the bitter taste of native medicines in the dry old mouth…

OUR TESTIMONY

I am a woman. I am a wife. I am a mother and a grandmother. I had to study this subject because I need to fight the demons that will attack my husband. He does his own fight. But I am his helper. I should not be ignorant of this temptation. I must help him fight bitterness and not foolishly add to it. As a wife, I have tried to keep close to my husband, spiritually in particular. It pains me when he quotes a Bible verse or teaches me something new, and I am totally ignorant of that subject. I use that pain to grow! I challenge myself to study the Word of God so that when my husband needs somebody to talk to about the Bible, I am ‘current’ with it. I have learned many things about subjects that I do not like in particular. I know much about politics and current affairs in Nigeria. I am not a politician, but I need to know these things, if they are good or bad. Ignorance has never helped anybody. I need to know my husband’s plans, dreams and God’s purpose for his life. I need to pray for those. I need to grow as he grows. We need to grow together! This is the safety and the sweetness of a mature marriage that even death cannot destroy! We are not competing one against each other. We must complement each other. To complement my husband I need to grow too. As the vision for our lives and ministry develops and increases with time, so we must grow with it. To be left behind spiritually, to be a passive wife, it is sin. If I am lazy or careless with our relationship, and I just walk lazily behind him with nothing new to add to our marriage, that sin is almost like spiritual adultery. My husband will be tempted to be worried, angry, disappointed and bitter against me, his wife, helper and friend. As a wife, I should not be found to be too fast and lead my husband. I should also not be found to be too slow and leave him alone. Marriage is two people learning to be one. It has a beginning! It is also a process. Each one of us must grow in grace towards God and towards one another. I should not take his love for granted. I should be watchful for any ‘virus’ of disappointment towards me that I sense in my husband. I must be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I will help him be the man God wants him to be. We both work hard at making our marriage a success. But the hard work is bringing a greater than expected harvest of peace, joy and ministry to those who call us parents in Christ. I boldly declare that in Christ alone, our marriage is free from the pollution of bitterness! Love has won the battle! Dear children, may these words challenge you! God loves you! God loves your marriages! Glory to God!

(I wrote this article in 2018. My husband went to heaven in 2020. We were married for 47 years. I am rich in memories. I am richer in revelations. The Word of God can never change! God bless you all! In the picture, my beloved husband, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh, and I, about 2018)

“I asked for Peace—

My sins arose,

And bound me close,

I could not find release.

I asked for Truth –

My doubts came in,

And with their din

They wearied all my youth.

I asked for Love –

My lovers failed,

And griefs assailed

Around, beneath, above.

At last,

I asked for Thee –

And Thou didst come

To take me home

Within Thy heart to be.”

(D. M. Dolben, 1848-1877)

Our youngest daughter Jemine, her husband Matthew Oakes and their sons: Oliver (5 years), Emory (2 years) and a baby girl coming soon. To God be all the glory! (Tali- Richmond Sisan Leigh and Malia- Silvia Lia Leigh are the happy grandparents!) To God be all the glory!

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching from the Book of Romans. The title of her sermon was ‘The Doctrine of the Wrath of God’ (2). Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans chapter 1. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:16-25)

The wrath of God is God’s view or sin; God’s hatred of sin; God’s punishment of sin! The word ‘wrath’ means justified anger, and hatred; a passion that leads to punishment. God is Holy! God is Love! God protects His Glory! God hates anything that tries to destroy His holiness, Love and Glory! That is why God hates sin! God’s wrath against sin is a manifestation of His jealous love toward His people! Therefore, to protect His glory and His people, God must punish sin! The Gospel is power because it reveals the wrath of God. The Gospel also reveals the imputed righteousness of Christ received by us thru faith. Both this righteousness and the wrath of God were best manifested at the Cross of Calvary. Both are revealed in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit! You cannot argue with unbelievers about the wrath of God or the salvation in Christ. They need God’s revelation. The word revelation means an unveiling; removing the cover and expose something behind it. Darkness and blindness are removed. The light of God must shine upon the object. “Once I was blind, but now I see…” This is called revelation!

The natural men hate this doctrine. They imagine that God is a God of love who will not punish anybody. Man hates discipline and obeying any law. Paul introduced the doctrine of the wrath of God against sin from the first chapter of Romans. The preaching of the wrath of God is foundational in preaching the Gospel. All evangelism must start with preaching the sinfulness of sin, and God’s wrath against it. Never start with man’s needs. Do not even start with Jesus! Always start with God the Father! He invented the plan of salvation! Always start with God and His glory! Many Christians ignore this doctrine. They say they believe it, but they deny it in practice. Many preachers ignore it too. They fear that people will leave their churches. But truth must be preached!

Romans 1 reveals two problems: the wrath of God and the sinfulness of sin. One of the major problems in the church is that men ‘come to Jesus’ as a Friend, Helper or Healer. They do not come to Him as hopeless desperate sinners going to hell. The preachers do not tell sinners that God is angry with sin and He will surely punish sin! To say that you are converted, and you do not have the fear of God, that is a lie! The doctrine of Justification by Faith is the major doctrine of salvation. God the Father designed it. The Son executed it and the Holy Spirit applies it to our understanding. This is the Gospel and its power: Jesus died on the Cross to appease the wrath of God and to save sinners. Jesus said: ‘It is finished’. You must believe and receive the finished work of Christ! By faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross you become FORGIVEN, CLOTHED IN HIS imputed Righteousness and ACCPETED in the Beloved!     

NOAH’S UNSINKABLE FAITH (Genesis 6-8; Heb 11:7)

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb 11:7)

Noah’s story is a picture of the terrible wrath of God. His mercy is there too but do not miss His Judgment! It was not just a cruise ride, a vacation on the sea. It is the Gospel! We are born with a sense of justice. We say: this is not fair! We know that evil should be punished! But sin has damaged our conscience and understanding!  The manifestation of terrible sins is increasing! Murder, kidnapping, pedophilia, homosexuality, cheating etc. Very few people openly practice these terrible sins. But they cause great damage. We think that God is sleeping or unjust! But God is watching! He will surely punish sin!     

Noah survived the greatest storm and flood the world has ever seen. He did it by faith. Favor from God must ignite faith in the heart. Do not take God’s Grace for granted! Noah knew God! He received the Word of God, His warning! He lived amid an exceedingly evil generation. But he did not backslide. Noah is an encouragement to us all.

*Noah’s Faith honors God’s Word! He takes God’s Word very seriously! He moved with godly fear to obey God’s warning! Noah has never seen a flood. He believed the Word about things not yet seen. God warned him that He will destroy all men and animals. He did not argue with God. He obeyed!

God told Noah to build an excessively big ark. It was 500 feet long (one and half of a football stadium) or about 20 basketball courts. It was 50 feet high from the ground (equal with 4 stories building). It could carry 450 semi- trailers or about 120,000 sheep. It was extremely large. Noah trembled and trusted and built the ark!

*Noah’s Faith is quick to obey God’s Word! It will take 120 years to build it! Noah was not a sailor. He was the only one who was building a boat. Nobody believed in him. He has never seen a flood. He was a lonely believer! But he did not backslide!

*Noah’s Faith reaches the lost! He convinced his family! They all believed Noah and together they built the ark.  God “did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5).

*Noah’s Faith rebukes the world! The world goes in the opposite direction! With every tree he cut, every nail he nailed, he condemned the world!

*Noah’s Faith received God’s righteousness (a gift he did not work for). It is standing before God fully accepted! God did not sent Jesus to condemn men! He sent Jesus to save them! The ark was not built to drown people but to save them! The people were already condemned! But the wicked people rejected Noah and his God!  

The flood did not end the sin problem. Sinners outside the boat died. Sinners inside the boat were saved by God’s Grace! The flood reveals the magnitude of sin, wrath and holiness of God.  Noah and his family did not deserve to be saved. It is the Grace of God. They carry the Seed from where Christ will come after the flesh! God saved and protected the Seed. This is amazing Grace!  Noah built the giant ark for 100 years. People said he is a crazy man! This is how sinners perceive grace and faith! Like madness! When the animals were going by themselves to the ark, the sinners should have known that this is God! It was a warning that they did not heed! For the past 2000 years sinners go to Christ for salvation. Every Sunday morning the children of God go to church. The unbelievers still ignore the sign! Repent! Jesus came as the Lamb of God who died for sin! He will come again as the Lion who will judge sin! May we fear God! Worship the Lord!

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL (34) THE DOCTRINE OF THE WRATH OF GOD (Romans 1:16-32)

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh continued preaching from the Book of Romans. The title of her sermon was ‘The Doctrine of the Wrath of God’. Her main text was taken from the Book of Romans chapter 1. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest n them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:16-25)

The wrath of God is God’s view or sin; God’s hatred of sin; God’s punishment of sin! The word ‘wrath’ means justified anger, and hatred; a passion that leads to punishment. God is Holy! God is Love! God protects His Glory! God hates anything that tries to destroy His holiness, Love and Glory! God hates sin! God’s wrath against sin is a manifestation of His jealous love toward His people! Therefore, to protect His glory and His people, God must punish sin! God created hell where the devil, the demons and all unbelievers will be forever. The unbelievers, the sinners, the children of darkness, will perish when God punishes sin! Understanding the doctrine of God’s wrath against sin will make you wiser. As a doctor I know that the right diagnosis leads to the right, successful treatment. Wrong, superficial diagnosis leads to wrong treatment and possibly death. The Gospel is power because it reveals the wrath of God. The Gospel also reveals the imputed righteousness of Christ received by us thru faith. Both this righteousness and the wrath of God were manifested at the Cross of Calvary. Both are revealed in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit! You cannot argue with unbelievers about the wrath of God or the salvation in Christ. They need God’s revelation. The word revelation means an unveiling; removing the cover and expose something behind it. Darkness and blindness are removed. The light of God must shine upon the object. “Once I was blind, but now I see…” This is called revelation! The natural men hate this doctrine. They imagine that God is a God of love who will not punish anybody. Paul introduced the doctrine of the wrath of God against sin from the first chapter of Romans. The preaching of the wrath of God is foundational in preaching the Gospel. All evangelism must start with preaching the sinfulness of sin, and God’s wrath against it. Never start with man’s needs. Always start with God and His glory! Many Christians ignore this doctrine. They say they believe it, but they deny it in practice. Many preachers ignore it too. They fear that people will leave their churches. But truth must be preached!
The wrath of God has been revealed and manifested in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, God destroyed all people during the flood, leaving only Noah and his family. God confused and scattered the people at the tower of Babel. King David, a man after God’s heart, was punished for committing sin. King Nebuchadnezzar was humiliated for his pride. The people of God were sent to exile, in Babylon, for seventy years, because they refuse to submit to God. The Prophets and the Psalmists warned men about God’s anger against sin. Knowing God’s wrath will help us to repent of sin. God’s wrath is to be feared. It proves the difference between the Creator and the creation! May the fear of God that leads to wisdom and worship descend upon us! This is all for God’s glory! Only in the Book of Romans, the idea of God’s wrath against sin appears ten times: Rom 1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; 13:4,5. The wrath of God is just. God is the Creator and the Judge of all! God’s anger is not selfish, or erratic. God never ‘loses His temper’ like men do! God is always right! “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day” (Ps 7:11). God has satisfied His wrath against sin at the Cross! Jesus died to fulfill the law: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23)As believers we do not fear condemnation. We cannot go to hell. A believer may backslide for a time, but he will surely repent before his death. God punishes sin even in a believer. It is called ‘chastisement’. But he cannot ‘lose heaven’. Salvation is an eternal sure gift of Grace! We should remember that one day, we shall stand before Christ, the King and the Judge of the universe who shall judge our deeds, our works. “For we must all appear before the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10). That is why we desire to do all things to God’s glory!

HOW IS THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED FROM HEAVEN?1-In the universal human experience of physical death! Death is a manifestation of God’s wrath against sin! Every man dies, the believers and the unbelievers. Spiritually, there is Death in Adam, and Eternal Life in Christ! “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification” (Rom 5:12-16). But for the believers, death has lost its sting, terror and power. “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:55-57). Because of the Cross, God has removed the sting of the snake called death. Death is a defeated toothless enemy. Death is not a master anymore, but a servant! In Christ, death has become your servant! Death serves you by opening the door to heaven!
2-In the Vanity of life! Vanity is excessive pride, big dreams that leads to something useless, to total disappointment! “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom 8:20, 21). Life is hard! Life is ‘not fair’. People work and suffer to get rich and then they die. Once they die, they cannot take money with them. “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecc 1:2). Only God plants hope in futility! For the believer, there is no vanity for at the Cross, vanity is redeemed! “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). As children of God, we are children of purpose! We have a reason to live and to die! Our purpose is to give glory to God and to become like Jesus!
3-In human degradation! On the natural, without the purifying and restraining power of the Holy Spirit, sinners are getting worse. Old unbelievers are full of regrets, torments, and bitterness. We, the believers, hate, fight and conquer sin! We want to please God who warns us against sin and who chastises us as a Father disciplines His son. This is love! For the believers, like with old wine, life is getting sweeter with age. In all things we give thanks to God! My praise belongs to You! Worship the Lord!