Part II · Our Problem·Week 7 of 30
Wrath
Before you gather
- Read Day 7, Wrath, in The Visual Gospel. Do not reteach the essay.
- Read Nahum 1:2–3, 7 in your Bible. The excerpt below is only a backup.
- Your people should already have answered the day’s reflection questions. Do not ask those again.
1 · Icebreaker · 7 min
Open the room
When have you been glad that someone in authority got angry — a parent, a coach, a judge, a friend?
Leader. You are rehabilitating anger as moral, not cruel, before you open the text. Keep stories short. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.
2 · The word · 8 min
See it, then say it
If you need the words
Say: This is not God losing His temper. Wrath is His holiness, aimed. The tree is exposed. If we never feel that exposure, we will treat the cross as a kind gesture instead of a rescue.
- Definition, from the book
- The wrath of God is His holy revulsion against sin and His just judgment against sinners who rebel against His righteous standards.
- In the original language
- Greek orgē — settled anger, righteous wrath, not a tantrum.
- Memory verse · Romans 1:18
- For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Together, open the flashcard for Wrath. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.
3 · Open the Bible · 15 min
Nahum 1:2–3, 7
The devotion already used Jesus cleansing the temple. Nahum holds wrath and refuge in the same chapter, which is the conversation you want.
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.
From the passage
1.List what this passage says God is against, and what He is for. Do not skip either list.Core
Leader. Against adversaries and guilt. For the refuge of those who come to Him. Both lines are in the same breath.
2.“Slow to anger” and “will by no means clear the guilty” sit side by side. What would be lost if we kept only one of those lines?
Leader. Only slow: evil never matters. Only wrath: nobody can come home. The gospel needs both.
4 · Around the room · 20 min
A conversation this chapter did not assign
3.If God never grew angry at cruelty, what would that say about how He feels toward the people cruelty crushes?Core
Leader. Wrath is love’s refusal to call evil “fine.” Let victims in the room hear that God is not neutral.
4.Romans 1:18 says wrath “is revealed,” present tense, not only at the end. Where do you see a world already living with the consequences of pushing God out?
Leader. Romans 1 itself lists the fruit. Stay observable: lies treated as freedom, bodies used, truth suppressed. No partisan speech.
5.How do we talk about God’s wrath to a friend without sounding like we enjoy it? What must the next sentence be?
Leader. The next sentence is the cross: the storm has a lightning rod. If they cannot say that second sentence, they are not ready to say the first one in public.
5 · Say it · 5 min
In one sentence
God’s wrath is His holy love refusing to make peace with evil.
Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.
6 · Pray · 8 min
Leave silence between these
- Praise God that He is not indifferent to evil.
- Confess any place you have enjoyed the idea of someone else under the storm.
- Ask for courage and tenderness the next time you have to tell the truth about judgment.
Before you stumble
Two failures: mocking people who struggle with wrath, and gloating as if we were the lightning. Tone is everything this week. Wrath is settled opposition to sin, not God being moody. If the room is young or new, do not camp in descriptions of hell. Camp in Nahum: He will not clear the guilty, and He is a stronghold. Week 14 will show where the bolt lands. You may say that in one sentence.
With students
Ask what kind of god they would actually want in charge if someone hurt their sibling. Most will want a god who gets angry. Then ask whether they want that same God reading their group chat.
If you still have time
Psalm 7:11–12. God is righteous and indignant every day, and He offers repentance before the bow is drawn. Use it if someone thinks wrath means no warnings.