Good evening. Tonight's message
is called Not Appointed to Wrath. Tonight we will be looking at
1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 9 to 11 in which we will see
a wonderful truth brought forth. And that truth is the fact that
God's people, his elect, are not appointed to wrath but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And this all has
come about according to God's eternal plan and by God's mercy
and his great grace, which he has shown his people. This topic,
which we'll look at tonight, will magnify the gracious mercy
and the sovereign grace of God in the fact that we who are the
born-again, blood-washed children of God are not appointed to wrath,
as God chose us in Christ from before the foundation of the
world. Another thing I would like us to keep in mind is also
that every stitch of the born-again, blood-washed saints' righteousness
is by the work of Christ and Christ alone. We are clothed
in the spotless righteousness of Christ. We do not add one
thing, not one stitch to the righteousness which God has clothed
the believer in. As the old-time preachers used
to say, we're clothed in an alien righteousness. in that righteousness
is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, imputed to us by
God Himself, as it is He and He alone who has clothed us in
that perfect righteousness. Praise His mighty name. Now let's
read 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 to 11. But of the times and seasons,
brethren, ye 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. 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. But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of
the day. We are not of the night, nor
of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as
do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep
sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in
the night. But let us, who are of the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an
helmet the hope of salvation. 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. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." Now the
last couple of weeks we've looked at verses 4 to 8 where we saw
that we who are the purchased people of God are called the
children of light and the children of the day. We have been born
again and we are no longer in the natural darkness which we
were in at our birth. We have been translated by the
power of God from the power of darkness. And it is God who has
translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, all because
we were not appointed to wrath, beloved. but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ. Wonder of wonders as we ponder
this precious, precious truth. Let's look at verses 9 and 10
of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. For God, for God, it's God who's
done this, 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. Beloved, before
this world was created, God chose us in Christ. Let's read verse
13 of 2 Thessalonians, which ties right in with these wonderful
verses here tonight. The scripture declares in 2 Thessalonians
2, verse 13, But we are bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation. through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth, and in verse 14, whereunto he
called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Now there are three things which
deserve special attention from that scripture there in 2 Thessalonians
2, verses 13 and 14. First, the fact that We are expressly told that God's
elect are chosen to salvation. Now language could not be more
clear how these words before us dispose of the arguments of
all who would make election refer to nothing but external privileges
or rank in service. We clearly see We clearly see
in verse 13 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that we are chosen
to salvation. It's God who's chosen us. And second, we are warned here
that our election unto salvation does not disregard the use of
appropriate means. Salvation is reached through
sanctification of the spirit, we see. in 2 Thessalonians 2.13
and belief of the truth. We see clearly that the same
God who predestinated the end also appointed the means. The
same God who chose us unto salvation decreed that His purpose should
be realized through the work of the Holy Spirit of God and
belief of the truth. Well, that's faith. We've been
granted faith to believe. It's a gift from God. Therefore,
we clearly see that salvation is of the Lord. The Father chose
us in Christ, and Christ redeemed us on Calvary's cross, the Son
of God. In God, the Holy Spirit regenerates
us, and we are sanctified in Christ by the Holy Spirit of
God. And third, Thirdly, God has chosen
His people unto salvation. Now this is a profound cause
for fervent praise. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. We have abundant
cause to give praise to our great God. Instead of shrinking away
in horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer,
when he or she sees this blessed truth as it has unfolded in the
Word, discovers great ground for gratitude and thanksgiving
to our great God and gratitude and thanksgiving as nothing in
this world can bring save the unspeakable gift of the Redeemer
himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we see then how very gracious
was our great God while describing the awful events of the great
day of God as they will overtake the wicked. He brings comfort
to the Lord's people. He brings assurance of the Lord's
people's safety when surrounded with such tremendous judgments
in their view or before them. Let's read the wonderful words
of verses 9 and 10 again of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 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. Take note where our safety
is found. It's not found in ourselves or
anything we say or do. But again, we have a very clear
picture that the only one who has made us, God's elect, to
differ one from another, from the unsaved in this world, is
our great and glorious God, as it is He, God alone, who has
not appointed His people to wrath, because our wrath that was due
us fell upon Christ, the great substitute at Calvary's cross. when he purchased our eternal
souls with his precious, precious blood? And what have we that
we did not receive? This wondrous gift of salvation
was planned, purposed, and appointed by our great God to a people
of his choosing. We see that God has not appointed
his people to wrath. God has not appointed us to destruction
and ruin, beloved, which are the effects of wrath. There are
some that are vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction, of old
ordained to condemnation, and who are reserved for the day
of evil. But there are others who are equally children of wrath
by nature, as deserving of the wrath of God in themselves as
others, who we see in this text, are not appointed to it. Turn,
if you would, to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9. What a wondrous instance of distinguishing
grace, God's distinguishing grace we have before us in our text
tonight. 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. Again, this is all because of
God's distinguishing grace. And this wondrous truth is clearly
bought forth in Romans chapter 9, Let's read verses 21 to 23. 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 to destruction, and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he had aforeprepared unto glory? this ties right in with
our verse tonight, beloved. It says, For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. So
what safety and security the believer in Christ has, we have
no safety in ourselves or in our works But our eternal safety
is all wrapped up in Christ Jesus and Him alone. Because God had
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ. And it is the Holy Spirit, He
is the one who has regenerated us. It is God the Father who
did not appoint us to wrath. The Holy Spirit is the one who
regenerated us and it is the Father who hath not appointed
us to wrath. It is the Father who has appointed
us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. God's grace
and mercy then has been abundantly shed on and shown to God's elect
in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. So then we see that the
soul of the believer's safety and their everlasting blessedness
is in Christ Jesus alone because God hath not appointed them to
wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Now
marvel at that. God hath not appointed His people
to wrath. We are undeserving. We do not
merit this in any way. It simply flows from the mercy
and grace of God to a people of His chosen. And how do we
know that God has not appointed us to wrath? Well, He has sanctified
us. He set us apart by His Holy Spirit,
by the miracle of the new birth, by giving us faith to believe
the truth. All of God's enlightened children,
all of God's born-again, blood-washed saints believe, believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. And we cry daily. Lord help mine
unbelief. We believe because God ordained
us to eternal life. We believe because God hath from
the beginning chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth. Brethren, beloved of God, in
Christ we're free from God's coming wrath. I ask you, does
that bless you? Our text says, God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who
died for us. Salvation was appointed by God.
for a particular people, not by sinful works of man, not by
water baptism, not by belonging to a certain religious organization. Jesus Christ didn't try to redeem
his people with his precious blood. No, he obtained eternal
redemption for us. Jesus Christ didn't try to save
His people when He laid down His life for us. He saved us. That's why His name is Jesus,
which means Savior. He saved us from all our sins
and saved us from the wrath of God. How did He do this? Well, we see the answer in verse
10, who died for us. 1 Thessalonians 5, 10, who died
for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
all the elect of all the ages. He was delivered for our offenses.
The sinless, spotless lamb of God was delivered for our offenses. And then he was raised again
for our justification, beloved. and we are reconciled to God
by the death of his son. Much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life, the one and only hope for sinners.
is the substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And what a blessed hope he is
for his people. The hope we have is an anchor
of the soul. Christ Jesus, our Lord, both
sure and steadfast, beloved. So rejoice if you are a child
of God. Rejoice, Jesus Christ has already
entered within the veil to appear in the presence of God for us. He represents all His chosen
people, those He died for, and our Heavenly Father accepted
the sacrifice that He made for the sins of His people. And the
resurrection and the ascension of Christ is positive proof that
God has accepted the sacrifice of Christ in our place. The sinless,
spotless Lamb of God died in the room and place of sinners. And when our father in heaven
accepted the finished work of Christ on our behalf, beloved,
we were accepted in Christ in the beloved. And that is the
only way that we are accepted by God in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. So we see that Paul brings forth
in verse 10 of first Thessalonians chapter five, that Christ died
for his people. Remember. Paul's writing to born-again
blood-washed saints. He's not writing to all the people
in Thessalonia. He's writing to the saints of
God there, those who have been born again of the Holy Spirit
of God, those who have turned from idols to serve the living
and true God. And notice also in the text that
the apostle adds that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5 10, who died
for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him. Again, here is the sole cause
of mercy and the glorious security of the church, which is the Ecclesia,
the born again, well-washed believers. Not one day passes, not one second
passes, sleeping or waking when God's people are the Lord's,
not one. So what a blessed thought this
is. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. What great
assurance. the weakest of saints can find
here. Pause over this truth. Beloved,
let it sink deep, deep, deep into your soul. What a blessed
thought this is. Nothing can separate us from
the love of Christ, whether we wake or whether we sleep. Christ died for us. with this
purpose and view that he might make us partakers of his life.
There is no reason why we should be in doubt of our salvation
if we are in Christ by faith. Whether we are alive when he
comes or whether we are dead, we shall, because of his life
and death, live forever with him. Here we also see the final
preservation of the saints, as the whole of our salvation is
all accomplished by God, and God alone. By the finished redemption,
of our eternal souls by the Lord Jesus Christ. So what matchless
grace we see here before us and how this should humble we who
are the people of God. When we see this precious scripture,
we keep looking up to our great God, the Holy Ghost, our teacher,
and we stand in awe over the great things that God had done
for us and in us. And we see here that God, the
Holy Ghost by Paul is here teaching the Church that God hath not
appointed the Church, the elect of God, the called out saints
of God, the Ekklesia, to wrath, but hath appointed them to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask you this then, As we read
this scripture, can God's plans and appointments be foiled? So
we see then the folly when people say, oh God wants to save you
but he can't unless you let him. That's so foreign to the scriptures. Here are scriptures before us
in verses 9 and 10 which destroy that argument and reveals it
for the false doctrine that it is. The God of the Bible's plans
and will can never be thwarted by man's will or anything visible
or invisible. Our great God is sovereign over
all things. If God has appointed the church
to be saved from wrath and to obtain salvation in Christ, then
it will happen because none can stay his hand or say unto him,
what are you doing? So what security then is found
here before us in these words to the church of God. These are wonderful words and
it is the Father who has not appointed us to wrath. He has
not appointed His elect to wrath, but He has appointed us to salvation
in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, He has
made us everlastingly secure in Christ. in Christ before the foundation
of the world, that it should be holy and without blame before
him in love, having predestinated the church unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ unto himself. No one will ever thwart
that. Having accepted the church in
the beloved in Christ, can either men or devils frustrate God's
designs? No, no one can. In this very
scripture that we're looking at tonight, brings such great
assurance to the tried born-again believer. Remember that these
saints that Paul's writing to, they've been persecuted by their
own countrymen, and this blessed truth is set before them by the
Holy Spirit of God through the writings of Paul. During their
times of tribulation and trials, the scripture comes to them that
God has not appointed them to wrath. but appointed them to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's true
of every single one of God's elect. And he's confirmed it
in Christ, because we're told in verse 10 that Christ died
for us, and that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him. So we see that Christ and Christ
alone is the pillar and ground of truth. And we see that the
subject does not stop here, as God the Holy Spirit is the one
who regenerates us all. We are born again by the almighty
power of God the Holy Spirit. And those whom God hath chosen
to obtain salvation, and all those for whom Christ died, will
be born again, and they shall be children of light. We've seen
this declared in this very chapter, as the scriptures declare that
every one of God's born-again blood-washed saints are no longer
in darkness, as are the ungodly. In the return of Christ on that
great day, will overtake the ungodly as a thief in the night,
but those who are the children of light and the children of
the day will not be overtaken." We see here also the perseverance
of the elect of God because God has not appointed his people
to wrath. but to obtain salvation in and through Christ alone.
If we are in Christ, then we are eternally safe. Wherein God,
willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the
immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie. We might have strong consolation
who have fled for refuge, to lay a hold upon the hope set
before us. Well, that hope is Christ, beloved.
The hope set before us is Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have
forgiveness of all our sins. So we see then that it was and
is part of God's immutable purpose, formed wholly in Himself, that
He would show mercy to a people of His choosing, without anything
in us, without anything in us that would merit this wondrous
grace. That purpose is confirmed by
two immutable things, God's word and God's oath. And it's confirmed
with the express design that the heir is a promise, mark the
expression, heir is a promise, not workers of the law, might
have a strong consolation. This is all according to the
mercy and grace of God. And because God was willing that
the heir is a promise, should have his gracious purpose more
abundantly shown unto them. to confirm all His promises are
yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Now put all this together and
we see the immutable purpose, will, and pleasure of Him with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own
will begot He us with the word of truth. that we should be a
kind of first fruits of His creatures. God's purpose is founded in Himself,
established in the covenant, and ordered in all things, and
sure, and it is confirmed in the blood and righteousness of
Christ. And the people which are heirs
of promise are made willing, by the regenerating power and
work of God the Holy Spirit, to flee to Christ. all according
to the covenant engagements in the day of God's power. So then
we see that the ultimate blessings given to those heirs of promise
were not given to them for merit, or anything we do, and they are
not kept back for our undeservance, because we are in no way deserving
of this mercy. And yet God, by his free and
sovereign grace, has not appointed his people to wrath, but to obtain
salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for
us. Hallelujah, what a Savior. We find the merciful design of
God expressed in these words. for the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said, the elder shall
serve the younger. We see salvation is of the Lord
in these verses, which we've looked at tonight, in its planning,
in its purpose, and it all comes about by the will of our great
God. He is the almighty founder, which
in his own immutability, formed the counsel of His will, formed
no less all suitable provisions to make the heirs of promise
everlastingly blessed and happy in Christ Jesus our Lord. For
whom He did foreknow, He did also predestinate, to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that we might be the firstborn among
many brethren, moreover whom He did predestinate, them He
also called, and whom He called, them He also justified. and whom
he justified. Then he also glorified. Romans
chapter eight, verses 29 and 30. Now let's look at verse 11
quickly. 1 Thessalonians chapter five,
verse 11. In light of these two wonderful
verses, which we've looked at, verses nine and 10, look at what
the scriptures say. And in light of all the scriptures
before that. wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify
one another even as also you do. Oh what comfort we find in
Christ and Christ alone. Oh what comfort we find in the
fact that our salvation is outside of ourselves and it's all according
to the will and purpose of our great God. So let us close with
these wonderful words from the master in Luke chapter 12 verse
32 what words of comfort for his people fear not little flock
for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom
amen and amen