“If you had known the things that make for your peace!" Trinity 10 2022

God has put the ministry of the Word into this world, not that the preachers be silent, but that they reprove, teach, comfort, terrify, and thereby save those whom the LORD wills. The preacher delivers the Word full-force, with awful examples of God’s wrath against the obstinate and sinful heart of flesh. But to the Christian who is humbled and fearful, the preacher speaks sweet words of comfort. For those repented by the law, Christ Jesus wants nothing more than their sins forgiven, their lives renewed, and their hope of heaven restored. This why we read terrifying accounts of history and prophecy. We’re understandably reluctant because God’s wrath revealed is often frightening, gory, and horrific. They are meant to tear down the proud in the imaginations of the heart and keep the godly in the fear of God. And in the midst of every terrible event like the destruction of Jerusalem, we hear of God mercifully preserving the faithful, like Noah or Lot. God the Holy Spirit directs your heart by means of the Word and confession to repent and believe again.