In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. ( Psalm 11)
“… God is Love …”, ( I John 4:8)
Everybody agrees that God loves. God is Love. God loves man, that is why He sent his only beloved Son to come and die as a substitute for our sins. “Greater Love has no man than this…that He lay down his Life for his friends …”. This is the attribute of God which is most widely known and appreciated.
This evil generation has virtually been hardened into irrepentance by an over- emphasis upon God’s Love. Obviously it is impossible, on the one hand to ever overstate the infinite, abounding and eternal Love of our Creator, His Son and the grace which he extends to the rebellious race He has created.
I liken our current western society to the French Atheist on his death bed. When He was asked what if He was wrong about God, he answered, “God will forgive me, that is His job isn’t it?”.
But God’s love comes in a context, it cannot be isolated. The trueLove of God cannot be appreciated without contemplating the Holiness of God. His Love is Holy Love. God hates all that is evil, false, defiled, twisted and perverted. He hates sin and rebellion, and lawlessness.
People cannot contemplate the Love of God until they appreciate the enormity of their own sin against God. We have forfeited any right to live in God’s universe by our transgressions against him! Neither do most of us have any concept of the fact that we are utterly impotent to save our own souls. We are ruined by our sins, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Another reason people fail to be amazed at the Love of God, is because they do not understand the doctrine of the freedom of God. God doesn’t have to save anyone. It would be perfectly constant with his Holiness to damn everyone of us. He would be in the right were He to do so.
But God loves man and has found a Righteous way to save us from our sins.
This is one of the great truths of the eleventh Psalm. God loves man, but He doesn’t Love us more than He loves His own Righteousness!
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord liveth righteousness …
As recorded in the Revelation, when His Holy Angels pour out vats of agony upon the people of the earth, they are not doing anything wicked, they are doing the right thing!
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.(Revelation 16:1-11)
There is no remorse from Heaven when God orders these vials to be poured out, for the Righteous God loves his righteousness. In fact the angels proclaim the Righteousness of God (vs 5,7) as they do so, although the agony, pain and suffering upon mankind is intense. God is praised as “True and Righteousness” and is lauded, “for you have judged thus”.
People have been conditioned to think of Divine Love in humanistic terms, and therefore are unable to really know the Love of God. God loves people, but not as much as He loves his own righteousness.
Pastor Bill Randles Blog 