Message 8 - 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 – Persecution, Discipline And Tribulation; What’s The Difference? – Part 2 (Verse 9) Series

MESSAGE 8 - 1 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5 – PERSECUTION, DISCIPLINE AND TRIBULATION; WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? – PART 2 (Verse 9)

REVISION FROM PART 1

We have been examining 1Thessalonians 5:9 and looking at the wrath of God. This is our focus verse again for Part 2 of the study on this verse – {{1Thessalonians 5:9 “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”}}

This chapter is about The Day of the LORD and the coming of the Lord, the Second Coming, at the end of God’s Day of Wrath. The chapter begins with the explanation of the Day of the LORD saying that Christians should know these things and that the Day comes like a thief in the night, but we are not night people, but children of light, so that day of God’s wrath is not meant for us. The Day of the LORD is a terrible thing, a time of destruction, so it will have no part for Christians, but we need to be wearing our defensive armour as soldiers of the day for we walk in light. The verse 9 tells us we are not destined for wrath but we are destined to receive salvation. We are told to be sober.

We look forward, NOT to wrath, but to salvation in our Lord. In the last message, we looked at the wrath of God, and how that is revealed from heaven, and how it is stored and what the difference was between the wrath of God and the displeasure of God. We also saw how that the Lord Jesus took the wrath of God on our behalf. Now we want to continue the thoughts in verse 9.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WRATH OF GOD, AND PERSECUTION AND TRIBULATION?

The wrath of God is His anger on an unrepentant sinner, and against sin, which is a response to an affront or outrage on the holiness of God; and against the world in the future after the Church is taken. It is that wrath we have been speaking about so far. Persecution, however, comes from man, and is directed against something which certain people or groups don’t like, so they attack it. In the case of Christians, it is the opposition and mistreatment Christians face because they belong to God. Persecution does not come from God. Tribulation is what all the human race faces because we are human beings. It means facing difficulties and tough times and hardships just because we are in the world and live lives. “Life is not a bed of roses”, someone said. Tribulation CAN come from God upon people or nations and the greatest of these will be The Great Tribulation for 7 years after the Church is taken to heaven in the Rapture.

We say that people who become Christians look forward to great promises. There is the promise of God being with us forever. The Holy Spirit becomes our Guide, a Comforter and our Teacher. The Good shepherd feeds us and cares for us, and a place is reserved in heaven for us. We have eternal life. We have so many promises, but how many have heard in a message, that one of God’s promises is that we will suffer; that we will have persecution and difficulties. It is the prospect for the Christian. I have never heard a minister speak about that, or even mention that in gospel preaching. {{2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”}} Now if you want to avoid that uncomfortable experience, then be a worldly Christian, please yourself, not your Master, and don’t worry too much about God. Go to church for a short time now and again on Sunday, and keep away from bible studies and prayer meetings. In other words, don’t live the life of a soldier for the Lord. The Lord never persecutes Christians, by the way.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WRATH OF GOD, AND THE DISCIPLINE OF GOD?

We want to see this difference between the wrath of God and discipline. Before you became a Christian, you were overshadowed by God’s wrath. It hung over you as those separated from the salvation of God. The situation is painted exactly in this verse – {{John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”}} The Christian has no more wrath from God. The Lord Jesus Christ took the entire wrath of God on our behalf. Amen!

I want to point out that there is a vast difference between the wrath of God and discipline of God. Does God get angry with His saints? I think He might. However, He will not act towards us in wrath. Wrath is destined for sinners, and is judgement, and we saw last time that we are not children of wrath, but of blessing. How then do we understand it when things are going bad for a Christian? Is this God punishing them? Should we only be going on in blessing and favour in our lives? Is it God’s wrath we are experiencing when things are seriously going against us? The answer to that is NO, because we have no part in the wrath of God. When things go wrong, are we on the receiving end of God’s displeasure? Well, we may be on the receiving end of God’s disapproval, but it is NOT His wrath! It is discipline! What parent who loves his and her child will not discipline that child when necessary? It is biblical to discipline children – this is the critical passage on the correction of God for us -