God is Fearsome, Terrible and yet Good

10/05/13

God is Fearsome, Terrible and yet Good

Nahum 1:6 - Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Seven times it is written Lord is Good in the Old Testament, 4 times in Psalms, twice by Jeremiah and last by Nahum. Psalmist like David did not have a smooth and joyful life; he suffered great hardship especially in his early stage of mission in the Lord. Even later after he became king he did have his ups and downs, yet he stated Lord is Good.

Similarly with Jeremiah, he was one of the most hated Prophets. Every time he opened his mouth in the name of Lord he would cause problems for the people. They tried to put him away and almost kill him yet we see Jeremiah said the Lord is Good.

Lastly we see in the Old Testament Nahum states that the Lord is Good (Nahum 1:7), but just before and after that verse we see in verses 1-6 and 8-11 he gives another picture of the Lord. Nahum shows God as a terrible being who is jealous and an avenging being. His anger is frightful; He does not spare the guilty and utterly consumes them.

Today's message tells us who can stand the indignation of the Lord? Who can abide in the fierceness of His anger?

If we look at all these people even though they went thought great difficulty in life yet they proclaimed the Lord is Good, for they did experience the Lord and the one reason they did that was because they took refuge in Him even in those tough times.

People fear Satan and evil, they do not realize more than Satan we need to fear God. The Lord's anger cannot be compared. But for those who take refuge in Him this same fearsome and terrible God becomes a loving Father.

We have a choice to choose how we want our relationship with God; we can live our lives gratifying the desires of the flesh and then see the terrible side of God or take refuge in Christ and see the loving Fatherly side of God.

God does not say we need to be perfect to see His good side. He just says we need to take refuge in Him, it is He who will make us perfect.

[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You said fear not those who can harm your body but fear the one who can harm the spirit. You Lord are the one who gave us life and You alone have the power to take it away. Lord, help us no to fear the first death wherein our spirit leaves the body, but let us fear the second death wherein we really die. Lord, You came as man and became our sacrifice so that those who believe in You and take refuge in You will not die the second death and will have life in abundance. Help us Lord to take refuge in You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[ Reference ]
Psalms 34:8 - O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalms 100:5 - For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 135:3 - Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

Psalms 145:9 - The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

eremiah 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Lamentations 3:25 - The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Nahum 1:7 - The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Nahum 1:1-11
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

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