DOCTRINE OF GOD:
Judgment

I. Introduction:

Tonight we're going to conclude our study of the actions of God.  Last week, we looked at three of the central works, or actions of God in history: creation, providence, and redemption.  One of the things I wanted to communicate was that the goal of all God's actions in history; of all that He has done, all that he is doing, and all that he will do, is His own glory.  It's important for us not only to see that, but to delight in it, to be glad that God does all that He does for His own glory.  And the thing that should fuel our delight is the fact that we've tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and so we know in our hearts that He is infinitely worthy of all glory in all things.  Now, I say all that to say this:  It may be relatively easy for us to rejoice in God's glorious acts of creation and providence and redemption.  But it may not be as easy for us to rejoice in His great and terrible acts of judgment, which is the topic of our study tonight.  But I believe that we should do exactly that.  We need to see clearly that all that God does, including his acts of judgment, are worthy of our praise.