What’s your first thought when I tell you today is a sermon about fearing God, about God’s judgement of sinners? How do you feel about sermons centered on the topics of hell and God’s judgement of sinners? Back in my southern Baptist days we called Hellfire and brimstone! Those kinds of sermons are rare these days. The wrath of God has become one of the most neglected doctrines in sermons today. Some are afraid of it. Many go to great lengths to keep God’s wrath out of their sermons, avoiding tons of passages about hell, judgement. What should we believe about fearing God? how should a true believer handle that part of the Gospel message? Should God be feared as well as worshiped. Could our God really be so mean as to threaten to judge sinners? When sharing the love of Jesus & the Gospel with others, should we shy away from talking about judgement? Is it manipulation to preach it? To scare people into repentance? Should we just focus on love, mercy, forgiveness? Today critical swimming lesson: How important fearing God is if we want a life of true repentance & worship.
