The Wrath of the King

1. Read: Colossians 3:5-7

2. About the Text:

1) The topic of God’s wrath is not a popular one today.

2) It is, however, a topic that the Bible addresses.

3) To preach all of God’s counsel, we must not neglect it.

4) When we think about God’s wrath, it is not like man’s wrath.

5) James 1:20 says “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

1) “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

2) “The sting of death is sin” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

3) If my sin doesn’t die, then I will die in my sins.

4) “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

5) “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).

6) The thing to do then is to put our sins to death.

2. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

1) Paul talks about these sins as being “earthly members.”

2) Our behaviors become part of us and can take control of us.

3) Today, science has demonstrated that behaviors form neural networks in the brain.

4) The more we engage in a behavior, the stronger the network for that behavior becomes.

5) When we cease and deny these behaviors, we are literally killing those networks.

3. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

1) This is not a comprehensive list of sins.

2) “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21)

3) These sins compete for our identity and seek to control us.

4) They are earthly in nature, not spiritual.

5) “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).

1. “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience”

1) God is angry because of sin.

2) His anger stems from his justice/righteousness.

3) Injustice must be punished.

4) “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11).

5) “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

2. “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience”

1) Mankind enjoys the grace of God presently.

2) One day that will end.

3) “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

4) “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

3. “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience”

1) “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

2) “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

1. “in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.”

2. “we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:3).

3. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).

4. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

5. We must obey the gospel to avoid the wrath of the King!

1. The wrath of the King . . .

1) Mandates the Death Penalty

2) Avenges Disobedience

3) Can Be Avoided

2. Invitation