The Wrath of God
A Sermon on Ephesians 5:6
Scripture
6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Sermon Description
Why is the world the way that it is? In this sermon on the wrath of God given on Armistice Sunday from Ephesians 5:6, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reflects on the world wars and proclaims the great reality that all are either in the kingdom of Christ, promised an inheritance of glory, or outside the kingdom and under the wrath of God. Since the time of the fall of mankind, humanity has been deceived by vain words about this reality. Modern humanity has gradually gotten rid of the concept of sin and wrong and replaced it with psychological explanations and treatments. Because of this, God reveals His wrath, His settled hatred of sin, in various ways from condemnation of conscience, to sufferings that come from sin, to giving people over to their sin (Romans 1). Yet His wrath is not only a present reality, but also a sure future reality. Though the world ridicules all who hold to and proclaim this truth, Jesus Christ will come back to judge the whole world, universally and individually, in righteousness, casting all who have rejected His gospel into eternal misery and reigning with all who believed in Him in eternal glory.
Sermon Breakdown
- The world does not realize three fundamental truths: our conduct affects our relationship with God; there are only two possibilities in our relationship with God - in His kingdom or under His wrath; this relationship determines our eternal destiny.
- The world fails to realize these truths because it is deceived by vain and empty words. These vain words make sin and evil seem natural and redefine them as variations of normal or disease. This deception leads to a relaxation of discipline and punishment.
- The notion of sin and evil is disappearing. Sin is now seen as self-expression or living a full life. This view reduces man to a beast or machine and manipulates him. The chaos this view leads to shows it is deception.
- The world does not know the truth about God's wrath. God's wrath is his attitude against sin, his determination to punish it. It is revealed now through conscience, suffering, chastisement, and God giving people over to their sin. It will be fully revealed in the final judgment.
- God's wrath comes upon the disobedient. We must flee from the world under God's wrath and turn to Christ to be forgiven and gain an inheritance in His kingdom. Christians must pray for revival and proclaim the truth to save people from God's wrath.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.