This sermon delves into the concept of God's response to sin, highlighting the various levels of judgment seen throughout history. It emphasizes the importance of repentance and confession to avoid escalating judgments. The sermon also explores the generational impact of sin and the need for a proper response to God's warnings and invitations, using biblical examples like Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the children of Israel. Ultimately, it points to the ultimate act of God's mercy and judgment through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Good evening. We want to enter into our study for seven levels of judgment. We started off with our first one, our first level, and we're going to take each level specifically on a specific night as we go through this study with this. And again, some of these judgments as we're going to see in Scripture, they overlap. One can be given underneath the judgment of a nation, the judgment of a government. It can also be the judgment of a church or a judgment of an individual. And most definitely a cataclysmic event is going to affect near and far in the church and out of the church. So I want to give a brief introduction again to those of you that weren't part of the first night. Where we started off with our first level, we're going to come to level number two tonight. That where sin is brought in, we see immediately that when sin happens, God responds. So the first level of judgment is the act of sin. That's the only reason that judgment would ever be done by God upon an individual, a family, a church, or a nation, is if they have sinned against Him. Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and God brought judgment upon them. And so we've seen that throughout history. It's the way that we live and the existence that we have. Now the question that is that once identifying of the sin is done, many can confess and repent and stop the progression of judgment. Our problem today is that there's very little confession and repentance. Therefore, judgments continue to escalate or I use the term ratchet up in intensity and in afflicting not just a few but many. Not just affecting outside circumstances but internal like death. We'll get to at level six and seven. And so we see a progression of judgment because men did not respond the way that they were supposed to. So God responds. So sin is committed, provokes the Lord, wrath is poured out. God meets that sin with a direct action to stop the action because God is against sin. God hates sin. And so tonight we're going to look at level number two of this which is God's response. And we're going to look at this in different aspects of answering some questions. Let me quickly, I gave this last night but I'll give this each night before we get to our background passage in Leviticus 26. The first level is the act of sin. The second level of judgment is God's response which is to draw their attention back with obedience to him. The sin must stop. If the sin doesn't stop then the next level of judgment is set into motion. And again these overlap, simultaneous, together. It's different levels of these things that I just want you to understand and see. Especially with headlines today. And we get closer to the top levels. We'll see our headlines in our present day matching up with these different levels because we've continued to sin without responding appropriately. Level number three is against the land itself, nature. We see physical calamities, weather phenomena, seasonal phenomena. That nature is under assault because of men's sins. In the scripture in Romans all creation grooms because of this. Level number four is the level of judgment against governments. We see this Old Testament, New Testament under the Roman Empire and the government leadership of the Pharisees, Sadducees. That was part of that. But it's against governments, kings. Ours of course presidents, congresses, judicial system. Anything of leadership that will begin to look at the judgments that afflict because people sin and they don't stop sinning, they don't respond. And therefore the judgment continues. Fifth level is when God comes against his own people. It's one thing that you can understand God's wrath being poured out on the nations, on the heathen, on the ignorant, on the unbelieving. But what is it when God's got to come against his own people in church? I know that there are some that preach and believe that God's not going to judge his people, that we've been forgiven, we've been saved, we don't have to answer for anything. But I believe that to be just a little lie. Church is under judgment right now. Right now in this present day because we don't have the power, we've quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit, we're not seeing people brought into the kingdom brightly. You have people that are Christians who don't study the Bible, who don't read the Bible. You have Christians who don't pray. They have never witnessed to somebody. They steal, they don't time right. All these sins by God's own people. And God's own people know that. That's the worst of it. Then it's the sixth level. Now it's getting severe. Severity in these things. And people don't care if a judgment affects somebody else, the government. And the world don't care if God judges his own people, although we know what God does to us affects them. But it becomes a little bit more personal when it lands in your backyard. It lands underneath your roof. And so that sixth level becomes when God assaults the people. He afflicted the nature, the weather. That's one thing. But it starts getting personal. It's when it starts impacting us or you. And then they start looking and asking the question, why is this happening? And we'll see that in Leviticus 26 there when he says, and I'll send a wild beast and they'll devour your children. There's nobody that goes to a funeral home when they've got to bury their own child because of an accident or calamity that's going to recognize their sins to say, I did this. When David and Bathsheba's child was killed in 1 Samuel because he committed adultery and murder and the child had to die, David knew, I am the cause of my child's death. I mean, that's personal. So God sends judgment against the people through animals, through pestilence, death. I mean, a lot of people today are in the balances of life and death, of catastrophes because of this thing of judgment. And they don't even recognize it. Level number seven is going to be one of the severest. It's the most scariest. It's that which is recorded in scripture, which I'll give to you is that which as well is recorded throughout time, history. And what we see in this is that there's a level of judgment which is a cataclysmic event. It is war. It is major catastrophe. It is not just a few individuals dying or the ones and the twos being afflicted and may die. It is is that literally scores of thousands are afflicted directly by God and scores of lives are lost because of God's judgment on people because they did not respond as they were supposed to respond. So having said that, let us take our Bibles and open up to our background passage. We'll see Leviticus 26. If you would turn it open there. We're going to read this every night of the judgment study that we do because of its importance, its significance. It's what I've based all this off of actually. Reading through the Bible and these verses come alive to me and sets before me and I begin to hear what the Spirit is saying and so I write it down and I try to communicate it as best I can. I may not be the best of communicators. I may not be the best of writers of writing on my blogs and things like that but there is definitely a message there. So in Leviticus chapter 26 we will read. We did read last night and we'll read tonight and then continue on in 16 down through these verses of judgment and note again the verses every time we read this when God says I'm going to increase seven times more on you. That's the whole background of the seven levels of judgment. Verse 16. I will set my face against you. First time this is mentioned now. For your land shall not yield per increase. Neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. And if you walk contrary unto me and will not hearken unto me I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sin. I will also send wild beasts among you which shall rob you of your children and destroy your cattle and make you few in number. In your highways they shall be desolate. If you will not be reformed by me by these things but will walk contrary unto me then will I also walk contrary unto you and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant and when you are gathered together within your cities I will send the pestilence among you and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. I have broken the staff of your bread. Ten women shall bake your bread in one oven and they shall deliver you your bread again by way. You shall eat and not be satisfied. And if you will not for all this hearken unto me but walk contrary unto me then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury and I even I will chastise you seven times for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters shall you eat. And I will destroy your high places and cut down your images and I will cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols and my soul shall pour you. And I will make your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors and I will bring the land into desolation and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it and I will scatter you among the heathen and will draw out a sword after you and your land shall be desolate and your cities shall be waste. Let us pray. Blessed Father, we ask of you now for your blessing. We ask of you now for your help. We've read your word. We've begun the process, Father, of understanding. We pray for our help in discerning with wisdom which comes from you and a response which is pleasing to you. God, we have provoked you in all of our ways. Lord, it is we seek of you to understand these things so that we might turn back. Oh, God, help us by your Holy Spirit to turn back before it's too late. Lord, it is that you give us a night like this of an invitation, an opportunity, a divine visitation that you might come and meet with us and us with you. God, that you would do your best work in your grace and mercy to honor and to glorify your precious name. It is in the name of Jesus that we ask and we pray these things for your glory in Christ's name. Amen. Now, I want to set the study tonight. As we've read Leviticus 26, we're going to go through Scripture, not as many as what we did with the study on sin, where we looked at all the times of confession of I have sinned, you have sinned, we have sinned, they have sinned, a huge amount of response in the Scriptures with that. I want us to take through Scripture some of the occasions where God responds and for us to begin to see and to know who God is. Now, Jesus prayed that in John 17, Lord, that they might know you. And again, one of the principles that Tozer taught and published and I think it's still to be an incredible void inside the church today is do we know God? Now, I know that automatic response is how can finite understand infinite? It can't. But God reveals himself consistently. He does not change. He's immutable. Malachi, I'm the God that changes not. So the same God in the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament. And the same God in the Bible is the same God of 2012. So we're in this place. God is the same. We're the ones that have to change. So we're going to look at how sin happened. We studied that. Now we're going to look at how God responds to sin. And then how the judgments affect God's response in this. So we're going to answer some questions. We're going to answer four questions tonight. And as I go down through these things, I think you'll be able to point out the consistency of God in the circumstances of life, biblical and today. And that's what I want you to be able to see and to recognize how God is responding to us today. Now the first question that we're going to start off with in understanding God's response to men sinning is of seeing God's nature in this and seeing what exactly it is that God wishes to accomplish. Well, we know by God's creation of the Garden of Eden, it was that men would glorify God. That is the first rule of the Catechism that should be taught and learned by all of us. We are given life. And a lot of people ask that question. Why am I here? It's to bring glory to God. Well, sin does not bring glory to God. Sin tarnishes God's glory. The uncorruptible man of Adam and Eve who was made perfect in the image of God, that when they sinned and disobeyed in Genesis chapter 3, they ushered in the destruction, the wrath of God that said, the day that you eat of this tree, you will die. And men have been dying ever since because of that act of disobedience. God is consistent. So it is that when we see sin, we've got to understand immediately, and to answer the question, does God respond to sin? Now that's an issue of very simple yes. Now it is that the other questions that we're going to look at is, when does God respond? How does God respond? And what is God's response? So it is that as we look at this, does God respond to sin? And we say, yes, God responds to sin. We see the consistency in Scripture of this. And it is to me a relationship of cause and effect. It's a very simple process. Men sin, God punishes. We disobey, God responds. Thou shalt not, we don't do it. Then we disobey God, and there's repercussions from that. Now it is that when we look at life, it is a life of cause and effect. Sin, the cause, affects us in some way. The wages of sin is death. Disobedience against God provokes sin, cause and effect. A simple relationship here is that if I grab a hot iron that's in the fire, well, I automatically know the response of that is that I'm going to get burned. And so it is that my cause and effect is that I grabbed something that I shouldn't have grabbed, and the effect of that is that I was burned. And so it is that we're going to look at the parallel of this, of how cause and effect causes us that we don't turn and do what God wants us to do, but we continue in our sin, which is a clear violation of God's will and way. Now again, God has set into motion cause and effect. If you sin, my justice, my righteousness, must determine the judgment that unfolds on you. One of the greatest examples that we see in the Bible is that sin produces in God a clear response to the individual that has made the choice of sin. But sometimes we're going to see that it doesn't just affect the individual. This is a dangerous thought in a lot of people's lives today. My sin is only affecting me. That's not true. I've known many a father, growing up, drinking themselves drunk every night. They have a couple little boys, growing up, watching them get drunk. Guess what those children become? Exactly what they've seen. And in that we see is that cause of that father's actions has now been in effect upon his children. A nation that we see today is now reaping the effects of four or five generations since World War II of cause, of not relying on God, not following God, not obeying God, not trusting in God. Their causes of sin is now affecting my life, our lives, and my children's lives, and our grandchildren's lives. I had an older man in his 70s come up to me a couple years ago. And he came up and we were sitting in front of a church and we were talking and he said, I want to ask you for your forgiveness. I thought, what's this guy done to me? What's he said about me? And I said, I don't get you. Not that I wasn't willing to forgive, I just didn't know. And I said, what are you talking about? He said, I've contemplated this. It's my generation's failure that is now producing it in your all's lives as a younger generation. Now, he was an older man in the 70s, I was in my 40s, so we're talking three decades of difference. Generation. Old enough to be my father's son. Father-son generation. What do you do when you've got a grandfather and a father and a son and then a great-grandson? You've got four generations in that. That is continually causing sin in the lives of those that they love and all around about them. The effects is generational. And we'll see that as we go down through this study. But when sin enters in, God's justice demands response. And that response is his judgment. He has the power, he has the ability that in his judgment he can be lenient, merciful, gracious, long-suffering. Exodus tells us this. When God passed by, remember when he put Moses in the side of the cliff? And he put his hand over him and he said, Moses, you'll see my hinder parts. And as God passed by him, he declared his name. The name of the Lord. The Lord. The Lord God. Merciful and gracious. Long-suffering. Abundance overflowing. In goodness and in truth. Keeping mercy for thousands. And forgiving the iniquity, transgression, and sin of his people. But will by no means clear the guilty. Sin has the potential, according to God's justice, to be merciful, lenient, forgiving, restoring, rebuilding, redoing. Or he has the power to destroy, condemn, and annihilate. I remember hearing an old teacher I greatly love preach it this way and teach it this way one time. He said, if God created everything in existence, then this same God that creates has the power to uncreate. When you look at scripture of sin, the choice of men to sin, and God's justice requires a response. And he says to those kings of Israel, I will not let you have one man remain on the earth. So he annihilated an entire lineage of these men that disobeyed him. He created their lives, he created their lineage, he created their families, and he also uncreated them. Now that, that is judgment. God removes men from the earth because they sin and they provoked his justice to respond to it. So let us begin now to look at this. When does God respond in the scripture? Now we're going to consider this. If men sin, God's justice requires judgment on these men and on their lives and on their conditions that they have provoked him with. Then it is the question, when does God do it? Now that is a varying answer. That's what we need to look at in scripture. When did God respond to sin? So let us look at a few of these examples and get the timing down. Because again, it can't be said that men sin and God automatically, right there on the spot, responds to the sin. That's not necessarily so in scripture, is it? I want you to see in this that even though God's judgment may not be immediate, that does not say that God is not responding in judgment. And what I mean by that is that sometimes God allows for it to cook. He allows for it to multiply and to grow. Because he's giving opportunity and time. If we always, always sin, God's justice requires immediate judgment. And God simply responded to that by simply killing us on the spot and removing us from the earth because we deserve that. Sin deserves that. The wrath of God demands that. Then there wouldn't be anybody on the earth. But we see God's attributes being exemplified in the act of judgment that God says, I see your sin and I'm going to respond to your sin in this fashion. I'm going to give you time to repent. John the Baptist comes preaching a message. Repentance for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus comes along. Six months later, afterwards, the ministry begins. And what's his first word? Repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You go over to Revelation and the message to the churches, the seven churches. Repent. God is merciful. Now, how God does it, when God does it, that's his time. I don't think that there are men on this earth that has the ability to forecast like we try to do to weather. And like we try to prognosis who's going to win the elections and who's going to win the sporting events and how the things of life, the economy, the stock market are going to be impacted and work out. We just don't know. But it is that as we begin to see judgments unfolding, that we ought to understand God's response. So, with that in mind, and reminding ourselves that necessarily just because we don't see God's judgment does not mean that it's not happening. We sit here tonight with the freedom of worship. We know across other countries that there's persecution. They can never do this. They don't have a Bible. They don't have the freedom to open it. They don't have electricity. They don't have the warmth and the abilities to do what we do. But just because we have it tonight does not mean that we're going to have it tomorrow or next week. Or next month or next year. God is the giver of gifts. God can be the taker of those gifts. So it is easily given, easily removed. Now, sometimes the response of God, that it is, the answer to this is that it is seen or it's unseen. And that's the timing of this. We respond to God's judgment when we see it. Oh, that's the wrath of God. That's the judgment of God. It's easy to look at the story of Cain. Cain slays his brother Abel. What's God's response? God comes to Cain. Where is your brother? He asks him a question. And again, isn't it amazing when God asks questions to answers he already knows? Why in the world would God do that? Because he is provoking a response in us. He wanted Cain to testify and confess and repent. I slew my brother. But what did Cain say? He tried to dodge it. He tried to avert it. He tried to get away. And I'm my brother's keeper? And so God calls him on the spot. Now he begins to judge. Your brother's blood cries to me from the ground. Now it's known to Cain and to God. Everybody knows. Cain slew his brother. And so God immediately curses him. Because you've done this, you are now cursed in the earth. And he put a mark on him and said, Everybody that sees you is going to know that you're cursed. Now that's an immediate response. His father, mother, Adam and Eve, sin, ate the fruit. God's response. God shows up. He says to Adam and Eve, Where art thou? God already knew where they was at. He's provoking a response from the people. And it is the response of the people that must be in accordance with God's response. What is God's desire? My desire is that none would perish. That none would go away from me. But that they would find mercy. Thank God for grace and mercy. It is in this that God requires an immediate response. God's immediate response is the same as that we've seen throughout the scriptures about how God responds when people don't respond rightly. Now that's the key here. That's the catch. Is that God gives opportunity. But it's a response of those people of how God is going to do it. Now sometimes the immediate response of God is that He immediately afflicts. It is that God begins to unfold in this. It's that God doesn't wait. We read several occasions of this in scripture. We looked at a couple of these last night. But just to refresh. It is that when Aaron's sons went in to offer the sacrifice. And they were to offer up the incense and the fire on the altar. It says that they offered up strange fire. And immediately, immediately the fire of God fell and consumed them right on the spot. Now that leaves us with the question. What is it that men do that provokes God? That the fire of God falls and immediately causes a response. And that's the question. They offer strange fire. And that's something that we've got to answer. Are we offering strange fire on the altar? Now that's another sermon all together. But that's a spiritual concept that we've got to practice and apply in our lives. So we see first thing. God responds immediately in time. And the immediate response of God, it's seen. Now just because it's not seen does not mean that God is not responding in the unseen. The second that I've already alluded to is generational sins. Now this is you see in scripture. I want to give a couple examples in scripture. I gave the example of four generations. Grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, son, father, son, grandchild. You see these four or five generations that are unfolded. That shows that because the great-grandfather sinned against God, that it comes passed on down because, cause, and effect. Nowhere along the line did any of those sons repent and respond appropriately to God's response. Now generational sin in the Bible. We see this in the line of Cain. I made mention of Cain. We'll stay with him for a moment. You look at Cain's line in the scripture in Genesis there. And you see that he had sons. And each of these sons he named. And we know that those sons continued after their father. We see from Seth on down to Noah. The lineage there that was there. And it says that the time you go from Seth, who is the lineage of Christ, the lineage of Abraham, David, and Christ, and that goes through Noah, that you see that there was none righteous in the earth but Noah. So all men did wickedly. It was a progression generationally of going away from God instead of coming to God. So the entire line of Cain is wiped out in the flood. God creates, God uncreates. Generations were wiped out in that. Now again, the timing of generations that we see that it is, is that simply because the judgment doesn't happen instantaneously, that does not mean that it's not happening. One of the things that always bothered me in reading in the scriptures is the king Manasseh, which was Hezekiah's son. If you remember that occasion in the scripture there. King Hezekiah became sick. Isaiah, the prophet, was sent to him to say, get your house in order. You're going to die. And so Isaiah leaves. The prophet leaves. He says, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept. He cried a great prayer there. He begged God for life. And God heard his prayer, saw his tears, and answered his request. He said, I'm going to give you 15 more years. Now what did he do with those 15 years? That's the question. Cause, effect. Cause, he had a child named Manasseh. He had other sons. And in his old age, with those extra years, he had Manasseh. And Manasseh, three years into that, was born. And so Manasseh, at age 12, at the age of 12, becomes king. What kind of king does Manasseh become? And why does he become a king like he was? Well, the scripture says that Manasseh did more evil than any number before him. He was a wicked, evil king that reigned for over 50 years. Why did his son become like that? To a man like Hezekiah, who said to Hezekiah that that which was right, in the sight of the Lord. Well, I believe that it has to do something with him having him in his old age. And he didn't train the child right. And he didn't discipline the child right. And he didn't make the child right. So what happens to the son? He does not become like his father. But he becomes the exact opposite. Cause and effect. So Manasseh shed much blood, innocent blood, in Jerusalem. Manasseh is taken off into captivity. It tells us that Manasseh, when he was in prison, that he repented. And God forgave him. God forgives. Mercy. Forgiveness. Long suffering. We see that. Cause. Effect. The sins that he had done. Innocent blood that was shed. Is answered. With his son. After Manasseh. And on down to Josiah. With Josiah. Two generations now. The great grandson of Hezekiah. The grandson of Manasseh is born. Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Asked David, his father. But the prophet comes and says. Because of the sin and the innocent blood that Manasseh shed. I'm going to judge Judah. And I'm going to remove the people of Judah. And I'm going to destroy the city of Jerusalem. Manasseh was dead and buried. His son, Adonai, was dead and buried. Josiah, dead and buried before the judgment came. Three generations. All three of those generations. What was God doing? Waiting for the people to respond. To his response. I'm going to judge you. I'm going to remove you. I'm going to destroy you. If you don't repent. There was no true act of repentance. To undo the innocent blood. That was shed. Why does that make any reference to us at all? Because we have shed the blood. Of 55 million babies since 1973. Somebody is going to answer for that blood. Which has covered this land. Manasseh shed blood up to a horse's brittle. In Jerusalem it is said. And it is that we have shed as much blood. In this nation. God's judgment is going to happen. Cause effect. Response of God. God's judgment is going to happen. Improper response of the United States. We never turned back the judicial. The Supreme Court. We didn't do it legally. By the Congress or the state legislatures. And the President sure enough. Hasn't done anything to correct it. But make it worse. So the sin has perpetuated. And that is where we come now to. You didn't see a direct response in 1973. When the Supreme Court came out. And wrote versus Wade. And said abortion is legal. You didn't see a direct response. Now 4 or 5 generations later. Now we are seeing a response. God is pouring out his wrath on this nation. Because of what happened. When we was indicted. Before some of you was ever born. Or the second or third generation. Generational sin in this. Another example of generational sin. Is the story of Solomon. Now here comes David. Man after God's own heart. He has a son. Ripped by Sheba. The adulteress. That he committed adultery with. Murdered her husband Uzziah. The Hittite. And we see that unfold. That the child died. That they had. But the second child that they had. Was named Solomon. And he was called Beloved of the Lord. And Solomon was designed. Foretold that he would be the king. Of all Israel. Now here comes Solomon. And it says. And he did that which was right. In the sight of the Lord. As his father David. In the early years. But. Solomon loved many women. And he married those. Who he wasn't supposed to marry. And he practiced adultery. In his old age. And all of his wisdom. That he had. He did not respond. Like he was supposed to. Cause effect. And so Solomon. 40 years he reigned. Died in an old age. Leaves the kingdom to his son. Rehoboam. Who was the son of an Ammonite. His mother's name was an Ammonite. In that. He leaves them to that. And immediately. God. Because of Solomon's sins. Strips the kingdom. From Rehoboam. Gives him Judah. And gives the rest of it to Jeroboam. The son of Nebat. Who made Israel to sin. Generation. Solomon's dead and buried. David. Dead and buried. Cause effect. But Solomon walked away from God. Rehoboam didn't do much about it. And so God. Began to pour out response. Generations. David. Solomon. Rehoboam. And on down the line. Of the children of Judah. The kings of Judah. We see the response. But it all began with Solomon. Oh what it is. That in an age of revival. Generational sin is not going away from God. But revival stories. Of fathers. And sons. And grandfathers. And great grandchildren. Four or five generations. All coming back to God. And being restored with God. Isn't that the most blessed of hope. In cause. And effect. The same God who creates. Is able to uncreate. And the same thing that is created by God. Is able to be restored by God. Not removed by God. And that's where we're at in this. Generational is the time frame of this. It can happen over a prolonged period of time. Of generations. But timing is everything. It is nothing to us to recognize sin. In people's lives today. And that even though it's not immediate. It takes time. What you see with that today. Is for example. Somebody that smokes two packs of cigarettes. A day. And they've smoked them for 30, 40 years. And they have the audacity to go into the physician. And the doctor looks at them after they've done some tests. And they say I hate to tell you this. But you've got lung cancer. And they have the surprise. As to say what do you mean? 40 years of smoking. 30 years of smoking has now. Had the cause and the effect. It has now had the response. They could have stopped anywhere along the line. But they didn't. They continued. And now they read what they've said. Somebody that drinks. And bundles. And drinking. And carousing. And alcohol. And liquor. And beer. And all that. Has the audacity. After 30, 40 years. To go in. And the doctor looks at them. And says I'm sorry to tell you this. But you've got sclerosis of the liver. And you've only got a matter of months to live. Why? Because the cause. The effect. Didn't happen immediately. But because the sin continued. Judgment of God fell. And it afflicted. And the response was not what God wanted it to be. So therefore the wrath of God is invoked. Because God is just. And God responds to sin. Generations. Now we see a couple of examples here. That I wanted to give to you. About the framing of how God responds. Same judgment. Same response of God. But in a different level of time period. And an example of this that I'm trying to. I want to give to you an illustration here. Is if you remember. Is that Moses. When he was leading the children of Israel in the wilderness. He had Aaron. His brother. Who was older. As his right hand man. But he also had a sister. Named Mary. And one of the occasions in the book of Exodus. Is that Moses married an Ethiopian woman. And for whatever reason. Miriam did not like this woman. Did not like this Mary. And so her and Aaron got together. And they spoke against Moses. There's a clear command in scripture. Do not speak against the man of God. There's a judgment that follows. Now I can immediately claim. On the first principle that we looked at. The immediate response of God. Elisha the prophet is going out of the city. And as he's going out of the city. It says that there was children there. And the children made fun of the prophet. And they said oh you bald man. You bald man. And they were making sport of him. They were making fun of him. And immediately. Elisha speaks a curse to the children. Because they didn't know their place. Immediately. Two she bears come out of the wilderness. And consume all 42 children. Immediate response. Miriam speaks against Moses. Immediately God responds. And his glory comes down upon the tabernacle. And he calls for Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Family squabble. Didn't have anything to do with the other tribe. Just the three of them. And he says get to the tabernacle. I want to meet with you. And when he gets to the temple. He speaks to Moses. About Aaron and Miriam. And he says. Because you have spoken against my servant. He immediately struck Miriam with leprosy. Now. You ought to know or should know by now. That leprosy is a death sentence. If you catch leprosy. It's not an immediate death. It's a prolonged, slow, agonizing death. It's much like diabetes today. Diabetes left unchecked. It begins to affect every organ. It begins to amputate in the extremities. Toes, feet, up the legs, that kind of thing. When it's left unchecked. Over a period of long duration of time. It is a long growing disease. Now. Miriam was struck with leprosy. And they set her outside the city for seven days. Because she was cursed. Because she spoke against the prophet. Caused a theft. She sinned. God responds. Aaron cries out for Miriam when she's struck with leprosy. And said we have sinned. If you remember from last time. We have sinned. And the sin is addressed. Now. She's made whole. After seven days. Now. I want to contrast that with. If you go over to the book of Kings and Chronicles. We read about Uzziah the king. Now Uzziah the king. It says. And he did that which was right to the sight of the Lord. As his father. And Uzziah is a pretty industrious man. He was much into gardening. Very inventive. He did good. But we read. Is that one place. He let pride get the best of him. And he entered into the house of the Lord. And he had a censer in his hand. And he was going to offer the sacrifice. And burn the fire. And the priest withstood him. And they said. You as the king. Are not allowed to do the priest's job. And he was right. It's no different in this than we see. Is that. The king has a responsibility. The prophet has a responsibility. The priest has a responsibility. Everybody has a responsibility. And when they don't do their responsibility. Cause effect. Something goes wrong. But Uzziah took more upon himself. And said. I'm going to be king and priest. When he did that. And the priest withstood him. It says that he got angry. Doest thou well to be angry. Was the question that was asked to Jonah. Paul writes. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Don't be angry. Be ye angry in sin not. When he had that censer in his hand. And he became angry. It says that God smote him. Cause effect. God's response. And leprosy. Immediately covered him in the forehead. And on down. And it says that he went out. And he lived in a house. Outside of Jerusalem. For the rest of his days. And his son Jotham reigned in his place. He did not die. Immediately. He went decades after that. With this leprosy. Miriam was healed. She was struck with leprosy and was healed. We can go back to Elijah the prophet. When he healed. Namely. Out of Syria. And he was made whole. When he went and did it seven times. In the Jordan River. We see leprosy being healed by Christ. And we see these kind of things happen. But the idea of this is. Is that time. Timing of this. Is that God smites one with the very same judgment. But Miriam of Uzziah was struck with the same judgment. But there was different prolonged periods. Of that judgment that was unfolded on them. I made mention. That. That when we was looking at these kings. And how God responds. To the kings in the generation. And sometimes he removed them right off the bat. And other times. He allows them to continue. Ahab was a wicked king in the sight of the Lord. But look God. He repented at that very end. And God says. Do you see how he goes away in repentance? I will not bring this calamity. In his day and time. But in his son's time. So there we see God's mercy. Being acted out. Even though it was generational. Even though it was being undone. Cause and effect. God's response. And the people respond. So it is that we see today. That God is waiting for a response from us. Now the other thing here of God's response. Is that as we. How does God respond? And I want to give you a quick. Seven things here. That shows God's response. Which exemplify. The very attributes that we had already discussed. Of God's mercy. Now in this. This is the bigger picture. Now I showed you the immediate response. Where God struck people dead. Now that was God's immediate response. And there was no time of repentance. And again why does God do that? Because God knows. That those men and women's hearts. Are not going to repent. Because God knows everything. I have no problem with understanding that. Although many do today. God is omnipotent. All powerful. God knows everything. Omniscient. Omnipresent. God is past, present, future. He knows your very heart. And he knows what you are going to think tomorrow. Before you even get there. That's God. So as God knows these things. He knows those who are going to repent. Those who are not going to repent. He knew that Pharaoh. Would never ever do. What he was supposed to do. So he hardened his heart. But he knew you would respond. So he softened your heart. And hearts great for that. Now in that response. I want to show you seven examples. Of God being merciful. To sin. Sinful men. The cause of sin. The effect is judgment. Because it is justice. But in the midst of that. God withholds and restrains himself. In order that mercy might be applied. To a wicked generation. And a wicked people. Now first example. Is the example of Noah. We already made reference to it. The generational sins. From Seth on down to Noah. Noah was the only one righteous. Noah's righteousness was influenced. Upon his three sons and their wives. In order that men might be. Allowed to remain on the earth. Now. When Noah was first. Approached by God. And that God come in the 500th year. Of his life. And said to him. I'm going to destroy the earth by flood. I want you to build a boat. And I want you to gather the animals. And I'm going to put you. Your wife. Your three sons and their three wives. And you're going to be delivered. Now how long did it take Noah. To build the ark. You come into that in the 600th year. Of Noah's life. That the floods came. So you see that 100 years. In building this ark. Getting ready. What was Noah doing. What was God doing. In God's response in this 100 years. He offered 100 years. Of opportunity. For repentance. Men women and children did not repent. They did not listen. And they perished. Because they did not respond. To God's mercy. Of 100 years of opportunity. Of invitation. How many times does God give an invitation. To an individual. And he hopes for them to respond. He desires for them to respond. But he knows what they're going to respond. God knows how many times. One of my professors. At Bible school. Evangelism class. He come in. And I love this class because this guy didn't teach. He preached. And he come in and he opened his Bible. And he read a passage of scripture on salvation. And he said I'm going to give you 7 points. To salvation. And he went through the 7 individuals. That came to him personally. And asked him about his soul. Before he finally got saved. Wonderful testimony. God knew for that man. It was going to take 7 invitations. Before he received Christ. How many invitations did you give him. God's response. Waiting on our response. And in this response. Of Noah. He gave the people years. Decades. To respond to the message. To respond. God is going to destroy the earth. The blood is going to come. You're going to be consumed. You and your families and your loved ones. And what did the people do? They were married. They rose up and ate and drank. And they practiced folly. And the only thing that they did. The only thing they did was. Continue to provoke God. How long have we been there? All we've done is provoke God. No response. No appropriate response to God. In repentance and confession. Turning away and seeking God for mercy. Forgiveness and restoration. None. God gave them 100 years. To respond. They did not respond. Second example of how God responds. To Sodom and Gomorrah. I know that you would say. Immediately God poured out fire and brimstone. On them. But that's not so. God came down. God came down. Lot had been there for years. For decades. To get in the way of the God of Abraham. The God of righteousness. To teach the people. Then that's what we see is. That God came down. He comes to Abraham. As Abraham and him was talking. He's beginning to walk away. The two angels go on. God says. He's talking to himself. Between him the father and the spirit. Shall we tell Abraham. What we're going to get ready to do. When he tells Abraham. That we're going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Immediately Abraham says. My nephew is down there. I don't want him to be destroyed. Abraham goes into a time of intercession. If I find 50. Will you destroy it. 40, 30, 20, 10. If I find 10 there. I won't destroy it. Lot gets out with his two daughters. We went through this time. But it is. As you look at this. All night long. The angels had come. Lot had two angels in his home. People surrounded the city. Surrounded his house. They wanted to practice following with them. They were smoked with blindness. Because Lot was in trouble. All that night. All this stuff going on. Men's blindness. That they couldn't see. Smoked by the angels. What was their response? They didn't have a heart of repentance. They weren't smoked with fear. They didn't cry out to God for mercy. They didn't get to Lot. Lot could hang on to Lot's shirt collar. And say. Help us, help us. There was none of that. They brought on judgment. They brought on God's wrath. Because they would not respond. To God's visitation. God visited them. They still would not respond. Appropriately. Third. Children of Israel. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Promise. The covenant. Two aspects of the covenant. I'll make you as the stars in the sky. Or as the sand on the seashore. And the second part of that. I'll give you the land that I promised to Abraham. North, south, east and west. God fulfilled this aspect of the covenant. Their part was. That they were to obey the word of the Lord. Follow the word of the Lord. And do all that was required of them. They did not fulfill that. Now what happens to Israel? From the time of Abraham. 1800 B.C. Over a thousand years. Goes by. Until the time where we see. The children of Israel in 603. Being carried away into Babylon. By Nebuchadnezzar. So we see this huge span of time. One thousand years. A millennium. Where God is constantly. Constantly sending the prophets. Sending his priests. Sending the law. Sending the word. Sending great men like Moses and Samuel and David. All these opportunities. To God's response against their wickedness. And their disobedience and their sin. Because he had forewarned them. If you don't listen to me. This is what's going to happen. Cause and effect. God responds to their choices. But men's response is never back the way that it should be. The end result is. Is that they was obliterated. And they was removed and cast out of the land. Because of their sin. Number four example. Samson. We see this particular time. Samson. Ruled and reigned as a judge. But he continued to flirt with sin. He was with Delilah. He no doubt. Was in fornication with her. We've seen this again. How long can you sin against God. Before you pay the price of it. The wages of sin. Is death. Samson sins with Delilah. We see that for a long time. Three times he lies to her. Three times the Philistines come upon him. The fourth time he finally breaks down. And says my hair. She cuts his hair. He whispers not that the spirit of God departed from him. The Philistines come charging in. And he's taken captive. They put his eyes out. They bind his hands. And he's made a spectacle to the Philistines. But look what happened. Time. Every time that he lied to Delilah. He kept getting closer. To telling her the truth. Any time along there he could have broke away from that. Why didn't he? Because of the lust of his flesh. And the lust of his heart. That pushed him away from the things that he knew to be right. He ought not be fooling with her. He ought not be with the Philistines. He should have been doing what he was supposed to be doing. But because he did not respond. In that time period. Eventually. It came down to an utter collapse. In his life and the testimony against him. The story of David. Time frame. David sends Bathsheba. Kills Uriah. We see this generational sin. That's how God responds. In mercy. Nathan has sent to him. Over nine months. Nine months has been taking place. Long period of time. Months have been unfolding here. David never responds. Like he should have. And so now he's got an answer for it. Thou art the man. Thou art the man Nathan the prophet says to him. And he collapses in the midst of that. And he says I am worthy of death. But God's mercy does not kill him. Could have. Should have. But he didn't. Any time you want to judge. Other people. You ought to remember that. The same God showed him mercy. The same God shows you and I mercy. We ought to be very careful with that. So it is as David is shown. Mercy by God. That he is delivered. Yet we know all the afflictions that come out of that. That show again. When does God respond. And how does God respond. As he does to Absalom. And to Amnon and Tamar. Those things that unfolded in David's life. I'm hurrying along here. Because I want to get to these last two. To show again. How does God respond. We've got to go to Calvary. We've got to look at Jesus. And we've got to see one of the great examples. Of God's mercy. The just dying for the unjust. He who knew no sin. Became sin. What kind of death? One of the most horrible deaths. That was ever recorded. That is ever recorded. About how Jesus bled and died. For sins that he had never ever committed. Why? God's response. It's not my desire to consume you. It's not my desire to destroy you. But you've caused sin. The effects of sin is death. Therefore my son who knows no sin. Will become sin. He will die so that he can become victorious. Over death. Through the victory of the resurrection. In every aspect of the cross. You see this unfolding. And that everything that's in my life. Everything that's in your life as a Christian. Is all based on God's mercy. God's grace. God's abundance of overcoming grace. In victory. In death and over sin. Because of what Christ did. You can't look at Calvary. And not see God's amazing grace. You can't look at Calvary. And not see God's divine love. You can't see Jesus dying from the cross. And the seven saints. Father forgive them. It is finished. Oh Father. Why has thou forsaken me? Every line that's there. Every aspect of the cross. And again that's an entire message in itself. To examine the death of Calvary. To examine the death of Christ. And the resurrection of Christ. It is God's mercy. God's response to all wicked people. That says if you will come back to me. If you will restore this relationship. That I've always desired. To be glorified in my creation. And you come and accept my sacrifice. You come and accept my son. Then you shall receive life everlasting. But. If you reject Jesus. If you reject Calvary. If you spurn. The blood that was spilt and poured out for you. And you say I don't want it. I'm not going to have it. Then guess what? God's wrath. God offers away. How many years? Two thousand years. The cross has been in history. Crosses all over the place. Necklaces. Crosses in churches. Crosses along the road. Go out to the cemetery and see a cross. Cross of Christ's foolishness. To this world. As Paul said the preaching of the cross. Very few people know. About taking up a cross. And following after Jesus. It is the most important thing. In all of life. To know Calvary. To know the cross. To know God's response. To know the plan of salvation. The path of redemption. Everlasting life. Why is it that you accepted it? But many rejected it. There is a path. Straight and narrow. That leads to everlasting life. And the Bible tells us. Few there be that find it. There is a path that is wide and broad. That leads to everlasting destruction. But many be there. Why? Why the response? Because men love darkness. Men love sin. Men love self. They hate everything that tries to tell them. And instruct them in this life. This is the good and the right way. And you need to follow after it. They reject God's response. Of mercy and forgiveness and love. And therefore God's justice requires. Since you will not receive. The atonement. Since you will not receive the sacrifice. That was shed for you and given for you. Therefore you will reap. My justice. My wrath. My anger. God is angry with the wicked every day. And the cross of Christ is a perfect example. That it has been given. Two thousand years. It's testified to. Our lives are examples and testimonies to that. It's preached. It's proclaimed. People put it on their shoulders. And they walk down the street. And they testify. That's the cross. That's what men must have. But men reject it. And because they reject it. God. Cause and effect. Immediately responds. After years and years of invitation. God finally makes them answer for it. The grace of God has appeared. Unto all men. Titus chapter 2. Teaching us. That denying ungodliness and worldly lust. We should live soberly and godly. And righteous in this present world. But men. Do not live that way. They live in rebellion. They are as the men of Noah. And the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. And the children of Israel. As the sons of David. And as all the other examples that I have given. And they walk contrary to God. And they meet God's ultimate judgment. The last one. That I want to give to you. Is that it is the end of the world. How does God respond? At the end of the world. God pours out his wrath. Upon the nations. Now one of these examples. In these judgments that I will be going over. Is that I will give you the example of the cup of wrath.