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Sermon Supplement

June 6th, 2021


The Wrath To Come

Gary Henry – Reaching Forward – June 6, 2009

“For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1 Thess. 1:9, 10


To turn to God and obey the gospel of His Son is to be “Saved.” But the word “saved” may have become so familiar to us that we miss the dramatic picture the word portrays. In the text, above, Paul said that the Thessaloni-ans, like all other Christians, were waiting for Christ to return from heaven, and that when He returned, they would be delivered from “The wrath to come.” The world stands under the righteous judgment of God for its rebel-lion against Him. Unremorseful and unrepentant, the world is doomed to destruction. When Christ returns, that doom will fall. The only ones who will not be touched by the universal devastation will be those who are deliv-ered…spared…. saved.

The words “salvation” and salvage” are almost twins. If a thing is “salvaged” that means it’s something “saved.” Similarly, the Day of the Lord is going to be, for the most part, a day of the punishment of evil. The saved will be the exceptions, those who, in Christ, will be “saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9). To understand this concept, consider the “sal-vaging” of Noah’s family from the flood, Lot’s family from Sodom and Go-morrah, the Israelites from the death of Egypt’s firstborn, Rahab’s family from the devastation of Jericho, and on and on. The Bible often tells of a remnant being “spared.”

But can a God of love be a God of wrath? Certainly. Indeed, to have no wrath, God would have to be neutral toward right and wrong, neutral in the conflict of the world. And as Stephen Neill put it, “To live in such a world would be a nightmare. It is only the doctrine of the wrath of God, of his irreconcilable hostility to all evil, which makes human life tolerable in such a world as ours.” Mark it well: the day of God’s wrath will come. And the gospel of Christ says, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40).

Leaders Speak to Transform, Not Merely Inform

Acts 26:1-3 

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for your-self." So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: 2 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, 3 "especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.”


In a compelling court speech, Paul addressed King Agrippa. Try to sense Paul’s strategy. Paul believed the best defense is a good offense and nearly converted King Agrippa. Observe how this leader attempted to persuade his audience:

· He appeared relaxed yet used animated gestures.

· He humbly thanked the king for allowing him to speak.

· He affirmed the king’s knowledge and expertise.

· He identified with their opposition to the life he now embraced.

· He described his motives as pure and constructive.

· He explained that his obedience to God caused his trouble.

· He challenged them with reasonable and verifiable facts.

· He pled with them to obey God.

Christians and the Cancel Culture

Sunday AM Worship

Reading: Gal 1:1-5


I. Cancel Culture: “Kill the Children!”

a. Exod. 1:15-22

b. Matt. 2:16-19

c. Acts 10:34; John 3:16; Matt. 7:12; Rom. 13:8, 10

d. Rom. 2:1

e. Gen. 2:21-24

II. Cancel Culture: “Silence God’s Prophets”

a. 1 Kings 18:4

b. Acts 7:54-60; Acts 12:1-2; John 21:18-19; 2 Tim. 4:6

c. Acts 17:25-26

d. Isa. 1:18-20; Isa. 41:21

e. Exod. 23:2

f. Rom. 12:17-21; Rom. 13:8, 10

III. Cancel Culture: “Destroy God’s Word”

a. Jer. 36:20-26

b. Jude 3

c. Acts 4:17-20; Acts 5:27-32, 40-42

d. Mark 8:38

IV. Cancel Culture: “Demonize the Opposition”

a. Luke 23:1-2; Acts 6:10-14

b. John 15:18-20

c. Acts 24:5

d. Acts 21:33-22:1

e. Rev. 13:16-17

f. Rev. 13:18

Demons: the Agents of Satan

Sunday PM Worship

Reading: Matt. 12:43-45


I. What Are Demons?

a. Matt. 8:16; Luke 10:17, 20

b. Matt. 12:43-45; Acts 19:15

c. Matt. 25:41; 2 Pet. 2:4

d. James 2:19; Mark 1:23-24, 34

e. Acts 10:38; Mark 1:25-27

f. Luke 8:27

g. 1 Tim. 4:1, 6

II. What About Demon Possession?

a. Mark 9:17-18, 20-22, 25-29

b. Mark 1:24-27; Matt. 12:43-45

c. Matt. 12:22; Luke 4:40-41; Luke 9:1; Acts 19:12

d. Mark 5:12-13

e. Matt. 8:16

III. Demonic Activity Today

a. Zech. 13:1-2

b. Matt. 12:28-29; 1 John 3:8

c. Mark 1:23-24

d. Luke 11:14, 20-22

e. Matt. 28:18

f. 1 John 4:4

g. Eph. 6:12

h. James 1:14; Matt. 25:41

i. Rom. 8:37-39

j. Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 10:3-5

k. Eph. 6:10-17

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