Hello! The passage we will be looking at today is 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 which states, "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live together with Him."
A few quick points about these two verses....
1. A Christian is not appointed to wrath. This is great news! It is especially great news when you consider the fact that "we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). According to Colossians 3:6-7, the wrath of God is coming because of sexual immorality, impurity, evil desire, idolatry, etc... If I got what I deserve I would certainly have to face the wrath of God (because of my sins). But, because of the Lord Jesus Christ my appointment with God's wrath has been canceled!!!
I used to dread going to the dentist when I was kid (I just stopped going when I became an adult!) It was always a good thing when my Mom forgot my appointment or it was canceled. A canceled appointment meant I did not have to suffer for 30 minutes in the big green chair! How much better is it to know that I no longer have an appointment with the wrath of God! It is 1000X better!
2. The Lord Jesus Christ died for us. The message of the Bible is that Jesus became a man in order to die for the sins of the world. John 3:16 simply states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Isaiah 53:5 states, "He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our sins, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." Because the Lord Jesus Christ took my punishment upon Himself on the cross I do not have to face the wrath of God! He took my appointment. I appreciate it. I hope you do too.
3. Jesus died for us so that we could live with Him. Jesus did not die for us simply because he wanted to keep us out of hell (avoid the wrath of God). He died for us "so that we can live together with Him." That means that the Lord Jesus Christ really wants to be with you! He really wants to be in your company! He really wants to live together with you!
Jesus did not die on the cross because "it is the right thing to do." He does not invite you to heaven because "it is the right thing to do." He died for you, and invites you to heaven, because he wants to be with you! He really wants you to come to His house! He loves you!
I hope these 2 simple verses allow you to see into the heart of God. God does not want to punish you. He wants you to live with Him forever! I will simply end this blog by encouraging you to reread the passage...
"For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live together with Him."
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Sin is Serious
Hello, everyone! The blog for August will based on Psalm 5:4-6 which states, "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man."
Just a few quick points about theses 3 verses...
First, it is important to realize that God takes sin very seriously. This passage is very clear in describing how God relates to sinners. It clearly states...
1. He does not take pleasure in wickedness.
2. The evil shall not dwell with Him.
3. The boastful shall not stand in His sight.
4. He hates all workers of iniquity.
5. He will destroy those who speak lies.
6. He abhors deceitful men.
It is very likely that the strong language in this passage surprises you (even if you are in church!). Nevertheless, the Bible is clear. God is not okay with sin. He does not tolerate sin. He will not overlook sin. He takes sin very seriously!
Perhaps, the greatest problem in the world today is that people do not realize that God takes sin very seriously. People readily agree that they are sinners. They quickly agree and acknowledge that "nobody is perfect." However, often the problem is they do not realize how much trouble they are in because of their sin. Perhaps, reading Psalm 5:4-6 would help?
Second, it is important to see the type of person that this passage speaks about.
God feels the way he toward sinners because of the actions of the sinner. It is important to clearly note the type of person that is described in the passage. He is described as ...
1. Wicked
2. Evil
3. Boastful
4. A worker of iniquity
5. A speaker of falsehood.
6. Deceitful (and bloodthirsty)
God is totally just and right to feel the way he does because of the behavior of people. If people were righteous and did not sin (i.e. 1-6 listed above) then God would not hate/abhor anyone. God anger/wrath/displeasure is 100% correct in view of how people chose to live. It would wrong for God to respond to people repeatedly breaking his law in other way than what is described in Psalm 5:4-6.
It is important to note at this point that according to the Bible everyone falls into the above category. Romans 3:10 (along with many other passages) clearly states, "There is no one righteous." Thus, all of humanity is in trouble because all of humanity has sinned.
Third, it is important to understand how unbelievable the cross really is.
Psalm 5:4-6 does not talk about the cross, but it does help one to understand why Grace is so amazing. Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When a person understands that God takes sin seriously, and that we all are sinners, it truly makes it amazing to consider that God was willing to send His Son (and Jesus was willing to go and die for our sins). It is often true that people do not really appreciate the cross because they do not really recognize how much trouble they were in and how undeserving of such love they really are.
John Newton summed it up when he wrote, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like Me!"
I hope at some point in your life you have realized you are in trouble because of your sinful behavior. I also hope that at some point you have seen the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope. If not I hope you see it clearly today!
Pastor Ben.
Just a few quick points about theses 3 verses...
First, it is important to realize that God takes sin very seriously. This passage is very clear in describing how God relates to sinners. It clearly states...
1. He does not take pleasure in wickedness.
2. The evil shall not dwell with Him.
3. The boastful shall not stand in His sight.
4. He hates all workers of iniquity.
5. He will destroy those who speak lies.
6. He abhors deceitful men.
It is very likely that the strong language in this passage surprises you (even if you are in church!). Nevertheless, the Bible is clear. God is not okay with sin. He does not tolerate sin. He will not overlook sin. He takes sin very seriously!
Perhaps, the greatest problem in the world today is that people do not realize that God takes sin very seriously. People readily agree that they are sinners. They quickly agree and acknowledge that "nobody is perfect." However, often the problem is they do not realize how much trouble they are in because of their sin. Perhaps, reading Psalm 5:4-6 would help?
Second, it is important to see the type of person that this passage speaks about.
God feels the way he toward sinners because of the actions of the sinner. It is important to clearly note the type of person that is described in the passage. He is described as ...
1. Wicked
2. Evil
3. Boastful
4. A worker of iniquity
5. A speaker of falsehood.
6. Deceitful (and bloodthirsty)
God is totally just and right to feel the way he does because of the behavior of people. If people were righteous and did not sin (i.e. 1-6 listed above) then God would not hate/abhor anyone. God anger/wrath/displeasure is 100% correct in view of how people chose to live. It would wrong for God to respond to people repeatedly breaking his law in other way than what is described in Psalm 5:4-6.
It is important to note at this point that according to the Bible everyone falls into the above category. Romans 3:10 (along with many other passages) clearly states, "There is no one righteous." Thus, all of humanity is in trouble because all of humanity has sinned.
Third, it is important to understand how unbelievable the cross really is.
Psalm 5:4-6 does not talk about the cross, but it does help one to understand why Grace is so amazing. Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When a person understands that God takes sin seriously, and that we all are sinners, it truly makes it amazing to consider that God was willing to send His Son (and Jesus was willing to go and die for our sins). It is often true that people do not really appreciate the cross because they do not really recognize how much trouble they were in and how undeserving of such love they really are.
John Newton summed it up when he wrote, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like Me!"
I hope at some point in your life you have realized you are in trouble because of your sinful behavior. I also hope that at some point you have seen the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope. If not I hope you see it clearly today!
Pastor Ben.
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