Firmly Established Wrath

Order of Service

• Hymn — Crown Him with Many Crowns
• Call to Worship — Revelation 4:8-11
• Hymn — Crown Him with Many Crowns
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 2:1-2
• Scripture Reading — Philemon 1-25
• Hymn — There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn — Christ Is Coming
• Sermon
• Hymn — Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: Firmly Established Wrath

Scripture: Nahum 3:1-19

I. The Laid-Out Reasons for God's Firmly Established Judgment

(Nahum 3:1-4)

A. Violence

1. The Assyrian Empire was notorious for extreme brutality — impalement, dismemberment, heads used as decorations
2. No one mourns Nineveh's destruction (Nahum 3:7) — the judgment is welcomed

B. Deceit (Nahum 3:1)

1. Assyria used suzerain treaties to lure lesser nations with promises of protection, then subjugated them
2. King Ahaz of Judah was deceived by this tactic (2 Kings 16:7; Isaiah 7) — God warned him not to seek Assyria's help, but he refused
3. God holds all nations accountable for broken covenants, not only his covenant people

C. Sexual Sin (Nahum 3:4)

1. Nineveh synchronized occult worship with temple prostitution, luring nations through deadly charms
2. Application: In contemporary culture, sexuality has become a defining religion — the pornography industry generates roughly $60 billion per year, exceeding the NFL, NBA, MLB, and Hollywood combined
3. The ancient sin of Nineveh mirrors modern culture more than we may care to admit

II. The Lack of Readiness for God's Firmly Established Judgment

(Nahum 3:8-19)

A. The example of Thebes (Nahum 3:8-10)

1. Thebes was the great capital of Egypt, considered impregnable — surrounded by the Nile, protected by Kush, Put, and Libya
2. In 663 BC Assyria destroyed Thebes; God asks Nineveh: are you better positioned than Thebes?

B. Economic collapse foretold (Nahum 3:16)

1. Nineveh's merchants swarmed like locusts — but when destruction comes, they will flee just as quickly

C. Arrogant and sleeping leadership (Nahum 3:18)

1. The king of Assyria rested at ease, confident in his invincibility; his people were left scattered and prey
2. Zephaniah 2:15 — Nineveh said in her heart, "I am, and there is no other"
3. Historian Victor Davis Hanson (The End of Everything) chronicles how mighty empires — Thebes, Carthage, Constantinople, the Aztec Empire — fell suddenly and completely

D. The danger of comfort and ease

1. Scripture consistently shows that nations and peoples most content are most ripe for judgment
2. The Pax Romana (27 BC–180 AD): 200 years of Roman peace led to moral degradation that paved the way for Rome's collapse
3. Amos 6:4-7 — woe to those at ease in Zion, lying on beds of ivory, not grieved over the ruin of Joseph
4. James 5:5 — "You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
5. Application: Wealthy, comfortable Americans should heed Christ's warning — he comes like a thief; let us not be asleep

III. The Longed-For Relief of God's Firmly Established Judgment

(Nahum 3:19)

A. Nahum's prophecy was ultimately for the sake of Judah and the Davidic covenant

1. In 2 Samuel 7, God promised David an everlasting kingdom and victory over his enemies
2. 2 Samuel 8:9-10 — David's defeat of Hadadezer produced a ripple effect of blessing even on surrounding pagan nations

B. All nations who suffered under Assyria clap their hands at her destruction (Nahum 3:19)

1. A common enemy unites even bitter rivals; Judah and the surrounding nations were united in relief at Nineveh's fall

C. Christological fulfillment

1. John 12:31-32 — "Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out"
2. Satan, who held the power of death through sin, was put to open shame at the cross
3. Hebrews 1:3 — after making purification for sins, Christ sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
4. People from every tribe, nation, and tongue now clap their hands over Satan, sin, and death — united by the victory of the Davidic King Jesus Christ
5. We await the consummation: Christ will come to fully vanquish the enemy, and his people will rejoice over the final defeat of their common foe