Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Lies Against God's Jealousy & Anger Spiritual warfare must be fought in the Lord’s strength & by obedience to His directions Our adversary is a schemer that seeks to exploit our every weakness Our battle is not with flesh and blood (people), but against powerful and organized spiritual forces

Lies Against God's Jealousy & Anger We must take up the full armor of God so that we can resist the devil and stand firm Truth, the first piece of equipment, is foundational, and so it is the first area in which the devil attacks Ultimately, all of the devil’s lies & slander are against the nature & character of God

God’s Jealousy God’s infinite non-moral attributes set Him apart from anything else that exists, and therefore as holy God’s moral attributes are intrinsic to Him; arise from within Him, and are perfect. God is not similar to us, rather we are dim reflections of Him. We cannot ascribe our traits to Him

God’s Jealousy Improper jealousy includes elements of suspicion, fear and envy Proper jealousy is a vigilance; an earnest concern for the welfare or honor of others - 2 Cor. 11 Proper jealousy is zealous and can be indignant against violations of law and all evil

God’s Jealousy God has no suspicion (He is omniscient); fear (He is sovereign), or envy (He is self-sufficient) God’s jealousy arises from perfectly valuing what should be valued and zealously guarding them.

God’s Jealousy God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; 34:14) and is indignant against all idolatry. God properly values both the relationship with His creatures and the worship that is due from them

God’s Jealousy God is jealous for His name (Ezekiel 39:25) and will punish those who take it in vain (Exod. 20:7; Lev. 24) God is jealous for Jerusalem and Zion for He has put His name there (Zechariah 1:14; I Kings 11:36).

God’s Anger and Wrath Provoking God’s jealousy results in His indignation, anger and wrath & He is a consuming fire -Deut 4:24 God’s anger is always based in a just reason, and that separates it from man’s anger which is often unjust Warnings against provoking God’s jealousy: Deuteronomy 6:14-15; Joshua 24:19-20

God’s Anger and Wrath Consequences of provoking God’s jealousy: 1 Kings 14:22; Psalm 78:58-59 Petition for forgiveness - Psalm 79. Granting of forgiveness and restoration - Zechariah 8:2 Warning of God’s wrath of judgment still to come - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

God’s Anger and Wrath All of God’s attributes are always in complete harmony with one another and all His perfections God’s anger & wrath are free of injustice, wrong application, inappropriate levels, or mistiming

God’s Anger and Wrath There are things to be jealousy of, angry about and recipients of wrath Godly anger should motive us to actions of righteousness While anger in man is not a sin in itself, sin can cause it and it can motivate sinful actions (Eph. 4:26)

The Devil’s Lies People who are ignorant or deny God’s jealousy will continue to provoke it. Magnifying God’s jealousy as if it was similar to man’s makes God appear unworthy of worship A proper awareness of God’s jealousy magnifies His uniqueness and the importance of worshiping Him alone

The Devil’s Lies God’s anger is demonstrated in the Old Testament (Deut. 4:24; Num. 32:14; Psalm 78:49; Isaiah 13:13) God’s anger is demonstrated in the New Testament (Heb. 12:29; John 2; Matt. 23; Rom. 1:18, Rev. 14:10) God’s patience and longsuffering should not be mistaken for either indifference, tolerance or acceptance

The Devil’s Lies Rejecting God because you think He should not get angry results in your own condemnation - Romans 2 The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God – James 1:20, but God’s anger does display His righteousness The devil’s lies lead some people to believe the Lord is cruel, angry, harsh and judging.

The Devil’s Lies Some people view the Lord as the cosmic killjoy who forgives sin, but does not want you to have fun. The Christian life should be the most full and joyful life possible - John 10:10; Rom. 8:32; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:4 All of God’s attributes work in harmony giving us hope by believing in Jesus Christ

Conculsions Exodus 34:6 - the Lord is forgiving of those that love Him, but will justly punish those that hate Him John 3:36 What you believe is true? God’s revelation? or the devil’s lies?

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ