From the Pastor's Desk:
Last week I preached about this concept: You will never fully understand and appreciate God's love until you fully understand and appreciate His wrath. It is true, the Bible is clear, God is a God of love. But the Bible is equally clear, God is a God of wrath and judgment.
Years ago, one of the first legal cases I worked on was that of a child rapist. I was on the side of defending the alleged criminal. After following all of the procedures our legal system has in place, the trial was over and the verdict was to be decided by the twelve jurors. After very little deliberation, they pronounced the defendant "Guilty." Returning back to my office, my co-workers inquired how the trial went. I merely responded, "Justice was served." Even though I "lost" the case, I was happy that justice was served. It is true that God loves us. But in order for that love to be absolutely true, God must also be just. He will judge sin for what it is ... sin. God has put His standards in place for us to live by. Any deviation from that is sin. And sin must be punished. And the only One capable of being the judge who judges sin is God.
However, in God's great love, He provided a way for us to escape His wrath and judgment. He provided His perfect Son, Jesus to die on a cross for our sins to be forgiven. If that isn't love ... the ocean is dry. If that isn't love ... there are no stars in the sky. If that isn't love ... the sparrow can't fly. God is love.
Pastor Randy