Message 7 - 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 – Now We Look At The Wrath Of God And Salvation – Part 1 (Verse 9) Series

MESSAGE 7 - 1 THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5 – NOW WE LOOK AT THE WRATH OF GOD AND SALVATION – PART 1 (Verse 9)

DESTINED NOT FOR WRATH, BUT FOR SALVATION

{{1Thessalonians 5:9 “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”}}

We will consider just this one verse today. Plain and simple, what does this verse say? It has two parts – one part will not apply to us as Christians, and one part will apply. The part we won’t have, is wrath. We are not ordained to any part of wrath. This is extremely important to understand because it is fundamental to the position we have in our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It says we have not been destined to wrath. That is, appointed to wrath; designated to wrath. We will never be part of wrath.

WHAT IS THE WRATH OF GOD?

I want to examine from the scriptures what the wrath of God is. ???? comes from the verb orago meaning, “to teem, to swell”; and thus implies that it is not a sudden outburst, but rather (referring to God's wrath) is fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin . . . a settled indignation. It means anger, wrath, passion, punishment, and vengeance.

WHAT IS THE WRATH OF GOD THAT IS COMING?

Last time we looked at the day of the LORD (meaning “the Day of Jehovah”) coming as a thief in the night, and examined that. We saw that the Lord does not come as a thief for His Church, but rather as the Bridegroom for His Bride, and the Day of the LORD is not for us. We saw how that the Day of the LORD applies AFTER the Church has been removed in the Rapture. God’s wrath is going to be manifest after the Church goes and that is what occupies the book of Revelation. It will be a terrible time when God punishes this earth for its unrepentant sin.

When we looked at Chapter 1 of Thessalonians we came upon this instructive verse – {{1Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus WHO DELIVERS US FROM THE WRATH TO COME.”}} The verse tells us very clearly that wrath is coming but we are delivered from it. The wrath will be the judgements coming from 7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 bowls and the final great battle of Armageddon. {{Revelation 6:16 “and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the WRATH of the Lamb Revelation 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”}} That is happening near the start of the Tribulation and the people of earth will know straight away that they are in the wrath of God.

HOW IS THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED?

There was an Old Testament preacher called Jonah who was ordered by God to go to Nineveh, the depraved and cruelest city of that time and preach against it, for God was going to destroy it in His wrath unless it repented. God gave the Assyrian people 40 days to repent and they did. They were spared. Fewer than 100 years later, the people returned to even greater sinfulness, and God destroyed that city with the greatest of judgements, wiping it out so thoroughly that it remained unknown for over 2600 years when excavations began to reveal it near Mosul. You can not trifle with sin before a holy God.

In Revelation 9 v 20-21 – {{Revelation 9:20 “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, DID NOT REPENT of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood which can neither see nor hear nor walk, and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”}} This is when the judgements of God’s wrath are falling, but even then, people will not repent. The defiant stubbornness of man’s heart is just amazing. This is because sin has taken such a hold that the chains binding the soul are so strong.

We need to look at Romans. Here is a lengthy passage – {{Romans 1:18 “THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness Rom 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them, Rom 1:20 for since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Rom 1:21 Even though they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonoured among them, Rom 1:25 for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions, for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, Rom 1:27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. Rom 1:28 Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper, Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, Rom 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, Rom 1:31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, Rom 1:32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practise such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practise them.”}}