In 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, “…They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
Is it God bringing judgment on man with the tragedy of terrorism?
Have you ever realized just how much people want justice? Children cry, “You gave one to him and not me—that’s not fair!” Or, “she got two and I only got one. You’re not being fair!” Children want justice. Adults want those that break into their home or that bring injury or hurt to a loved one to get caught and receive the punishment they deserve.
People want justice!
That’s because you were created in the image of God and God is just. God is more just that any human could ever dream of. But His justice isn’t always worked out the way we would handle it.
Some individuals at the point of wrongdoing are pricked in their conscience, are sorry and want to make things right. At that point, they need mercy. God is merciful. He wants us to get things right. If justice were always immediately executed at the point of each of OUR wrong doings, we probably would have been wiped out a thousand times over by now.
God executes justice with patience, with mercy, and within His infinite knowledge of knowing the facts. He is merciful and gives mercy as only He could. You see, He is the only one who knows the sincerity of the heart.
It often appears that many people “get away with” many things. That isn’t the case. God is simply working on the heart of each and every person to repent and come to Him. You can be sure that everyone will eventually come face to face with justice. God does deal with evil. He is not casual or lax about it. He is just. He works to turn what Satan meant for evil, for good.
Many have said, “So what about those that say that God judged our nation because of the murdering of babies through abortion, because of the causal attitudes about sexual immorality and homosexuality, and because of the backslidden state of Christians from God?” “Pastor Tim, didn’t you say yourself that God is not pleased with these things?” I absolutely did.
God does not hate people but hates sin. God hates how far our country has drifted from its roots and love for God. He hates the acceptable standard of sin that has permeated our society. But, He has not judged us for it through the taking of innocent lives including Christians and God fearing people through terrorism.
Let me back that up by better helping you understand God’s heart.
In Genesis chapter 18, we read the story where God was going to bring judgment against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was a praying force in this earth and God had a covenant with Him. Therefore, God came to Abraham to let him know that He was going to destroy these cities. He was going to destroy them because of the wickedness and perversion of everyone within the city.
God was telling him because that is where Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived. God always tells someone what He is going to do in the earth and because of the covenant with Abraham, he told him. Abraham began to intercede and ask God if he would save the city.
Abraham knew God and knew he would not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous. He said, If there are fifty righteous would you spare the city? God said yes. Abraham began to negotiate downward to 40, to 30, to 20, and even down to 10. God said He’d spare it if He found only ten righteous.
These cities were totally infested with sexual perversion and homosexuality. When the angels of God visited the cities to examine this perversion, Lot begged them to come to his home to stay where they would be safe. He didn’t know they were angels.
While the angels were in Lot’s home that evening, we are told in Genesis 19:4-5 what happened. It says, “Before Lot’s family and guests had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.'”
Lot tried to talk these evil men out of it but could not. These perverted men were breaking down the doors to overtake them and so the angels struck them all with blindness. They left the city before God destroyed it. God would have been merciful and willing to save it for even ten righteous but they were not to be found.
Lot and his family were saved but the cities were not.
This helps us to learn something about God’s heart toward judgment. He will not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous. God is not casual about judgment and would not bring judgment on the righteous and unrighteous together.
“…His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:10).
Because we have received Jesus as Lord, and our sins have been washed away, the wrath of God is not toward us. It is reserved for those who do not believe.
That time of God’s judgment is for a day yet to come. It has not yet come.
Because we have given our lives to Jesus, does not mean we can be smug about it. That goodness of God is meant to spur us to pray for and share the love of Jesus with others. Who is behind the tragedy then? Satan is.
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Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
Pastor Tim became a part of the leadership team at Living Word Christian Center in 1984 and was an Associate Pastor from 1989 until May 31st, 2017. He and His wife Renee, also a Pastor at Living Word, resigned after being a part of Living Word for 33 years on May 31, 2017. They felt impressed by God to pursue the tremendous growth of their ministry "Fresh Manna," as well as teaching conferences and seminars and increasing their involvement in the mission field through Tim and Renee Burt Ministries. Tim has a Bachelor of Theology degree and is a Christian blogger who has been writing a daily inspirational and teaching devotion three days a week called "Fresh Manna" for the past 22 years. It has been read in over 227 countries (official countries and territories). Tim was named one of the top 55 blogging Pastors. He is one of the top Social Media influencers in Minnesota with a strong presence on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TimBurt with over 187,000 followers. Between Tim's Fresh Manna Devotional and Twitter influence, he virally averages reaching over 4 million people daily with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
Prior to working at LWCC, he worked at Northwest Airlines for 13 years. In 1985 he founded and was President of American Infant Care Products which marketed his patented invention, the first fold-down commercial infant changing table now used worldwide in public restrooms.
In their tenure at Living Word, Timothy Burt and his wife Renee created a Small Group Ministry when the church was about 800 people in size. Under the leadership of Sr. Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond, the church grew to over 10,000 people. Pastor Tim and Renee led a diverse Small Group Ministry of over 200 groups. Tim also led weekly men's groups and a monthly Men's Breakfast of 250 plus men called Manhood for 27 years. Tim's responsibilities also included oversight over the Visitor and Member Relations Department, Leadership and Volunteer Development, and the Pastoral Care Department. Pastor Tim was also the Minnesota State Director of Christians United for Israel from 2006 thru 2017.
Tim and Renee are the parents of four children and have seven grandchildren. Tim loves to write, golf, run, and walk, and is a master gardener. He is a five-time marathon finisher. He is also a three-time award-winning gardener winning the Grand Prize in his city for his beautiful home garden and is a Master Gardener for the University of Minnesota's Master Gardener Extension Program.