Let's turn in our Bibles to 1
Thessalonians chapter five. 1 Thessalonians chapter five. I wanna talk to you about this
subject, appointed unto salvation. And that describes God's true
people. They were appointed, we were
appointed by God and literally before the foundation of the
world unto salvation. We were not appointed unto wrath.
But let's begin at verse one just to read through this until
I get to our text in verses eight through 10. This is First Thessalonians
five, all right. Verse one. But of the times and
the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh
as a thief in the night. Now he's talking about the second
coming. I talked about this last week
and we don't know when Christ is coming again. We know that
he is. But he says in verse three, for when they shall say peace
and safety, Then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon
a woman with child, and they shall not escape. So when people
are going about their business, daily business, thinking things
are okay, thinking nothing spectacular is going to happen, that's when
it'll come about. And when he says there's a thief
in the night, we know that Christ is not a thief, but he's talking
about how There'll be many who are unprepared. And we don't,
as I said, we don't know the day or the time, but we know
that he is coming. And when he comes, it'll take
some people, they'll be shocked. But verse four says this, listen
to this. He says, but you brethren are not in darkness. You're not
in darkness. that they should overtake you
as a thief." Now we don't know when it's coming and maybe we'll
be surprised but we'll be prepared, that's what he's saying. If you
know somebody's coming at some time to rob your house, you may
not know when they're coming but you're going to be prepared
if you know they are. And that's what he's talking about. We don't
know when he's coming, but we know he is coming, and so we're
gonna be prepared. And that preparation is not trying
to make ourselves worthy in the sense of our works and efforts,
but it's to make certain that our hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, that we're in Christ. I wanna
be in Christ every day, every hour. Every second. So he says,
verse five, you are all the children of light. That's truth. That's
what light is. That's truth that reveals unto
our minds and our hearts and our consciences the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ and the children of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. False religion is of
the night and of darkness. True religion, true gospel salvation
is of the day, of the light. And that's that contrast. There's
no mingling here now. There's no mixture of light and
darkness. It's total opposites. Salvation
by grace or by works. Salvation by the will of God
or by the will of man? Salvation by the works of Christ,
His righteousness, or by the works of man who has no righteousness? So he says, you're all the children
of light. Verse five, the children of the
day, we're not of the night, not of darkness, therefore let
us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. Now,
he's not telling you not to go to bed tonight and sleep. You
gotta sleep, the body needs sleep. And listen, as you get older,
it becomes more precious, doesn't it? But what he's telling us,
don't sleep with being in the drug, we'll say it that way,
of false religion. Resting in a false hope, as others
do. But let us watch and be sober.
and sober there means clear-minded, a mind that has a right judgment,
right response and of course, the only way we can do that is
as the Spirit clears our minds and fills it with the truth of
God. So he says, let's watch and be
sober. Verse seven, for they that sleep,
sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in
the night. Now he's talking about spiritual drunkenness there.
Talking about those who walk, stagger you might say, in a false
hope, false religion, without Christ, without grace, without
truth. so he says in verse 8, now here's
where it begins my text, but let us who are of the day be
sober, clear-minded, putting on the breastplate of faith.
You know the bible often represents a believer as being a soldier.
Ephesians 6 is the classic passage on that where he talks about
put on the whole armor of God that you may withstand the wiles
of the devil and there he talks about the breastplate of righteousness
which the breastplate of faith and love and for in helmet, the
hope of salvation. In other words, be protected,
be ready, be defensible with the gospel of God's grace in
Christ. In Christ, we have a righteousness
that answers the demands of God's law and justice and can thwart
every charge thrown at us because His righteousness is imputed
to us and therefore we cannot be charged in the court of God's
justice with our sins. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justify. And we
have for a helmet that protects our thinking, our minds, the
hope of salvation. And where is that hope? It's
in Christ, the hope of glory. And so as long as we fix our
minds and our hearts on him, we're safe and we're secure.
And here's the point, verse nine. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him. And he says, for wherefore, or
for this reason now, comfort yourselves together, speak peace,
find assurance, edify one another, encourage one another, even as
also you do. So we see that the basis, the
foundation that provides the motivation for our rest and our
peace and our assurance, our walk is this breastplate of faith
and love The helmet of salvation that we find because Christ died
for us as we were appointed, not to wrath, but to salvation. Appointed unto salvation. That
refers to God's chosen people. In Christ, elect of God, when
did that appointment take place? Well, the Bible tells us this,
that it was before the foundation of the world, before this world
was ever created, before Adam was created and put on this earth
with Eve, before he sinned, committed the first travesty of God's law,
before all of that, God had already appointed, chosen a people to
save. And that's an appointment that
God made in Christ. We read about that last week
in Ephesians chapter one. Chosen, marked out for salvation
before the world began. And I know people argue against
this. And what we need to understand
now is when I read about God electing a people, God appointed
a people to salvation, here's what I know about myself. I wanna
be one of those. How about you? Well, somebody says, well, how
can we not? Well, look at what he's been teaching here. He's
been teaching, turn over to, I will go to 2 Thessalonians
for this one. And I've got the right one, because I got it marked
here, so don't follow me. All right, 2 Thessalonians chapter
two. Listen to this in verse 13. 2 Thessalonians two, I read this
last week. But we are bound to give thanks all the way to God
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Now, how did Paul know
that they were brethren? How did he know that they were
beloved of the Lord, that God loved them? Somebody said, well,
God doesn't hate anybody. Well, you better read your Bible
on that issue. The Bible says he hates all workers
of iniquity. The Bible said he hated Esau.
There's several other passages I could read to you about God's
hatred. Now God's hatred is not a sinful hatred. It's not an
unjust or unfair hatred. It's his judgment against sin,
against the sinner to whom sin is imputed. That's what it is. And we'll talk about that in
just a moment. None of us deserve God's love. None of us. not even those whom he does love
and chose. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. So one thing you need to know
about yourself from the Bible is this, you don't deserve God's
love and you don't earn it. So if God loves you, it's unconditional
love towards you. Now there are conditions that
must be met, but you can't meet them, I cannot meet them. You
see, we're sinners. But who did meet those conditions?
Christ. You can't talk about God's love
truly and really and appropriately without first understanding that
he loves his son, Jesus Christ. God's love to anybody, any sinner,
comes through Christ. Understand that. Outside of Christ,
there's no love from God. Outside of Christ, there's only
wrath and hatred. And what did he say back there
in our text? He didn't appoint us under wrath, but under salvation. Well, look here, he says, but
we're bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. Well, how did he know that God
chose us? through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. The Holy Spirit has set you apart, evidenced by your
believing the truth. And what truth is it? Verse 14,
where unto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you believe the gospel? One
thing you need to know right now as you're sitting there,
And I know I get confused sometimes and read the wrong verse. But
here's the thing, I don't preach the wrong gospel. I'm telling
you. But you need to know that. You
need to know that I'm preaching to you the true gospel. And if you go anywhere else,
and you may do that, it's a free country, when you're sitting
there listening, you need to know if that's the true gospel
or a false gospel. Now that's where this whole thing
begins with our experience of it. It began before the foundation
of the world with God, and it's never changed. But in our experience,
as we're born in sin and ignorant, I need to be where the true gospel
is preached. I hope if you find a church where
the true gospel is preached, I hope there's a thousand people
there. I'd be surprised if there were. But if there's just 20 or whatever
we got here, it doesn't matter. Is the true gospel being preached?
Is God's glory in the salvation of sinners? by his free sovereign
grace through the blood and righteousness of Christ alone, which sealed
the deal. That's what Christ did on the
cross. He saved his people. He didn't make a savable and
he didn't make salvation a possibility. God has not appointed those people
who believe under wrath, but he appointed them under salvation.
And so he says in verse 14, whereunto he called you by our gospel. Go back to 1 Thessalonians 5.
So appointed to salvation, that's God's elect, that's His sheep,
that's His true church, that's believers, sinners saved by grace.
2 Timothy 1.9, listen to this, God who has saved us and called
us with an holy calling. You see, if you're called on
by the Spirit to believe the gospel, which is the power of
God, and it's an invincible work, He'll convince you. Let me tell
you something. I can't convince you that this is true, but the
Holy Spirit can. And that's what he does to every
one of God's people. He'll convince you. And if he convinces you,
you cannot be unconvinced. And that's called conviction.
And so saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. And that's
identified by their faith in Christ. This is 2 Timothy 1 10,
but is now made manifest, made known by the appearing of our
Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this world. He lived a perfect life and went
to the cross who hath abolished death He abolished death for
his people. He brought out everlasting life
and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. That's the revealed issues. So
he says back here in verse nine, for God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation
is a multifaceted blessing in the Bible. It has an eternal
realm, God before the foundation of the world in Christ. It has a legal realm, our sin
debt. That's what sin does, it runs
up a debt. It's like a credit card in that sense. You go out
and buy something, you don't pay for it, but you put it on
your account. Well, sin runs up a debt to God's law and justice. Well, the sin debt of those who
are appointed unto salvation was laid upon, charged to, given
to the account of Christ. And he, listen, he willingly
accepted that. He's the surety of his people. And he agreed to come to this
earth and unite with sinless humanity, God in human flesh
without sin, to obey the law perfectly, and die on that cross
to satisfy that debt, the justice of God. That's something, isn't
it? Salvation has that legal, has
that redemptive aspect. He paid the price and bought
us with his blood. Now what the scripture says,
what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. You see what I'm saying? That's
something. Don't let that just fly in and
out. But it's a message of grace and
love, accompanied or founded upon justice and holiness and
righteousness satisfied. That's what the gospel is. When you hear a man preach about
God's love, Ask him this question, how can God love me and still
be just to do so? Those are the issues we need
to be dealing with. And so we're appointed unto salvation. Salvation
has a spiritual aspect. Christ unites himself with his
people spiritually in a rebirth by the Holy Spirit through the
preaching of the gospel. And he keeps us. So we're not
appointed under wrath. You think about that. Wrath. Turn over to Romans chapter nine. Romans chapter nine. You know, this passage here is so telling
because it answers the objections that we naturally have against
God's sovereignty. God says in verse 15 of Romans
9, I'll have mercy on whom I will, and I'll have compassion on whom
I will. It's God who chooses. Somebody says, well, we choose.
We only choose after God convicts us of the truth. We receive Christ
because we're born again. That's what the scripture says.
And because if left to ourselves, none of us would choose him.
Now how do I know that? Because the Bible says that.
First Corinthians 2.14, the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, they're spiritually
discerned. So it says in verse 16 here, of Romans 9, so then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. And then he uses Pharaoh. You
remember Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, back during Moses' day? Listen to what it says here.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose
have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Pharaoh, God raised
him up for that purpose that Pharaoh carried out. And he says
in verse 18, therefore hath he mercy on whom he will, and whom
he will he hardeneth. The Bible talks about God hardening
Pharaoh's heart. Somebody said, well, the Bible
also says Pharaoh hardened his own heart. I know it does. So which came first, the chicken
or the egg? I'll tell you exactly what came
first, the chicken. But anyway, anyway, what happened
to Pharaoh? Pharaoh was raised up to be an
instrument of God's wrath. Look on. He says, verse 19, thou
wilt say unto me, why doth he yet find fault? How can God blame
him? For who hath resisted God's will?
Nay, but O man, who art thou that replyest or answerest against
God? Are you gonna debate with God
on this? Shall the thing form, say to him that formed it, why
hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over
the clay? Of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor, what if God, willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted or made up to
destruction? and that he might make known
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had
afore or before prepared unto glory. This is God's privilege. In fact,
it's his glory. Now, according to what we read
there and what we read back in our text, God's people, God's
chosen people, his elect, have never personally been under God's
wrath. How do you mean? Well, let me
give you some things to think about. I want you to turn to
Romans chapter one. Ask this question. Number one,
what exactly is the wrath of God? Now people today, we talk
about the wrath of God. We see things happening here
on earth, a lot of destruction, wars, rumors of wars, hurricanes,
tornadoes, floods, all of this. And people talk about that in
terms of the wrath of God. And of course, they can be manifestations
of God's wrath against sin. But people have a wrong idea.
Now, think about it this way. We all deserve God's wrath. And
we'll get to that in just a moment in detail. But a person gets
sick or a person goes through a hurricane or a tornado or a
war or something like that. All those things can be manifestations
of God's wrath. But what about God's people?
A believer, a child of God who gets sick and dies. We know that's
a consequence of sin. This body is dead because of
sin, it tells us in Romans 8. but the Spirit is life because
of righteousness. What about a believer who gets
killed in a hurricane or a tornado or a flood? Is that the wrath
of God on them? No. In fact, the things that
believers go through, children of God go through here on this
earth, for whatever reason, it's a big category, they're not called
manifestations of God's wrath then, they're called chastisements.
which is an act of God's love to correct his children, to cause
them to grow and persevere. But what about God's wrath? Well,
you know, here in Romans chapter one in verse 16, he talks about
the gospel. Look at it, verse 16. For I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. Verse 17, for therein is the
righteousness of God revealed. from faith to faith as it is
written the just or the justified shall live by faith." Now to
be justified is to be forgiven of all my sins on a just ground
and the only just ground is the blood of Jesus Christ. To be
justified is to be declared righteous in God's sight on a just ground
and the only just ground is the imputed righteousness of Christ.
To live by faith is to live my life in the power of God, in
the grace of God, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of my faith. So here comes the question, why
do I need the righteousness of God? I'll tell you why, because
I'm a sinner, and without the righteousness of God by His grace,
I'd be under God's wrath. Look at verse 18, for the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now, what is
it to hold the truth in unrighteousness? It's to not believe it. It's
to reject it. He goes on, he says, because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God
hath showed it unto them. The invisible things from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so
that they are without excuse. To walk away from the preaching
of the gospel in unbelief is to hold the truth in unrighteousness. But what about those whom God
marked out, appointed unto salvation? Well, they're in Christ. God's
wrath is His just judgment of sinners to whom God imputes,
charges sin. But doesn't the Bible say in
Romans 8.33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It's God that justifies. God's wrath is God's justice
upon all them that he brings in guilty and condemned. Where do we find the greatest
manifestation of God's wrath? That's the second question. God's wrath was seen in the Father's
justice poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ himself as the surety,
the substitute, and the redeemer of God's people. for the sins of God's elect imputed
to him. And because of that, God has
never charged his people with sin. Who shall lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works.
So even though God's elect, these vessels of mercy, Or in our text,
those who are appointed unto salvation were never personally
under God's wrath. They all came under his wrath
as they are in Christ. When God punished Christ for
my sins, he in essence, through representation, suretyship, substitution,
punished me. That's what I'm saying. He's
my surety. He took the full measure of God's
wrath upon me. And what people suffer here on
this earth, though it could be a manifestation of God's wrath
to those who hold the word, the truth, and unrighteousness, those
who are in Christ are safe, and that'll be known when God brings
them to faith in Him and repentance. And so we have to be clear on
this, number one. Even God's elect fell into a
state of sin and spiritual death in Adam. In this, the elect by
nature are no different than the children of wrath. Look at
Ephesians chapter two with me. This verse here has been messed
up by a lot of different ways of people trying to prove something
is not true. Here's the thing about it. Those who are appointed unto
salvation are sinners saved by grace. And so what we have in
salvation, we know we didn't earn it, we didn't deserve it.
By nature, God's elect, those appointed unto salvation, by
nature we deserve and have earned nothing but God's wrath for our
sins. But you see, salvation's not
by our works. It's by grace. Look at verse
one of Ephesians two. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. That's all of us by nature. Wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, that's Satan.
Even in false religion now. The spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience, that's an unbeliever. among whom
also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. Now
what does it mean when it says by nature? It means as we're
naturally born. We fell in Adam in the state
of sin and death, spiritual depravity, and we exist that way. until
the Lord brings us to faith in Christ in the new birth. So in
other words, what he's saying is before we're born again by
the Spirit and come to faith in Christ, we're no different
than the children of wrath. And we don't deserve it, we don't
earn salvation. But look on at verse four. But
God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us. Those appointed unto salvation.
Even when we were dead in sins, what does it say? Even when I
was dead spiritually before the new birth, before faith, God
loved me. And he said, have quickened us
together with Christ. That's talking about our redemption
by Christ on the cross. When he died, he died for his
sheep. Even though they were born dead
in trespasses and sin, fell in Adam, deserve nothing but wrath
and hell, God appointed them before the foundation of the
world, marked them out, gave them to Christ, sent Christ to
die for them, and He quickened them together with Christ. When
Christ died and was buried, He was made alive because He established
righteousness. They were all in Him. He's my
representative. He's my surety. He's my substitute. He's my Redeemer. And so quicken
us together with Christ by grace are you saved and hath raised
us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. That's our oneness with Christ
in all that he did. And he says in verse seven that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And
we didn't deserve that kindness. So what's the conclusion? Here
it is, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man
should boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto, not because of, but unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them. So the wrath of God abides upon
all sinners to whom God imputes, charges, accounts sin. The wrath
of God abides upon all sinners who do not believe in Christ
and live their lives in unbelief and die in unbelief. Listen to
this verse, and I'll conclude with this. John 3, 36. Now listen
to this. Mark this down. It says in John
3 and verse 36, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. What's the main evidence of having
life? Everlasting life, spiritual life.
You believe on the Son whom God hath sent. You believe in the
glorious person of Christ, God manifest in the flesh, the successful
work of Christ, his righteousness that secured the salvation of
all for whom he lived and died and was buried and rose again.
But John 3.36 goes on and says, and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Who's that talking about? He's talking about those who
live their lives in unbelief and never come to a saving knowledge
of Christ. Never believe on Him. They die
in that same state they were born. Fallen in Adam. Dying in
unbelief. Without Christ. Without His blood
to forgive their sins. Without His righteousness to
justify them. and the wrath of God abides on
them. And what is that wrath? That's their condemnation unto
eternal death. That's the wrath of God. But
thank God that he appointed his people unto salvation by his
grace. That salvation that is described
in the gospel by God's grace and mercy and love through the
blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's sing
hymn number 454 as our closing hymn. What a wonderful Savior.