The Book of First Thessalonians:
Message Thirty Five
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
When Queen
Mary of Orange lay dying, her chaplain wished to
speak to her about getting right with God. She
answered, "I haven't left this matter till this
hour." I hope you'll do as she did, for you have
an appointment with the Almighty.
Let's consider
this appointment. It's written in 1st
Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ." There are some folk who look upon
the wrath of God as something of which they're
ashamed and for which they need to apologize. Because
they consider it as a blemish on the character of God
they conceal it. But the Bible doesn't conceal it.
There are more references in the Bible to His anger
than to His love. Because God is holy, He hates sin;
and because He hates sin, His anger burns against the
sinner. "Now the wrath of God," said Arthur
W. Pink, "is as much a Divine perfection as is
His faithfulness, power, or mercy. It must be so, for
there's no blemish whatever in the character of God;
yet there would be if 'wrath' were absent from Him.
Indifference to sin is a moral blemish. How could He,
who is the Sum of all excellency, look with equal
satisfaction upon virtue and vice? The very nature of
God makes hell as real a necessity as heaven."
But He is not willing that any should perish. So the
Bible says, "For God hath not appointed us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ." Now the word "appointed" has
reference to the purpose of God. That's to say, it's
not His purpose that you should perish, but that you
should "obtain salvation."
Let's look at
the acquirement. The word "obtain" suggests
that in your naturally sinful state you don't possess
salvation. But you may. Now salvation is the most
indispensable thing in the world, but the least
prized. It's the most costly thing in the world, but
it can be obtained without charge. For the Bible
says, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast." But are you
asking, "What's salvation?" To begin with,
it's the forgiveness of sins. God does something with
your sins. In distance, He removes them. The Bible
says, "As far as the east is removed from the
west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from
us." In color, He changes them. The Bible says,
"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow." In substance, they're blotted
out. The Bible says, "I have blotted out, as a
thick cloud, thy transgressions." Not only is
salvation the forgiveness of sins, but also the
fashioning of the sinner. God does something with the
sinner. The Bible says, "Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creation." Concerning
salvation, drunkards say, "It made me
sober." Harlots say, "It made me
pure." Thieves say, "It made me
honest." Liars say, "It made me
truthful." Infidels say, "It made me
trustful." The sad say, "It made me
glad." Salvation also takes in the furnishing of
a sanctuary. To those who have accepted salvation,
the Lord said, "In My Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also."
Let's look at
the antitoxin. Poison, if taken into your
bloodstream, will produce death. But an antitoxin can
neutralize the poison, even though it's made by the
very same poison. That gives meaning to this verse:
"God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died
for us." You and I have sinned, for the Bible
says, "All have sinned." Because we have
sinned, we deserve to die, for the Bible says,
"The wages of sin is death." But
"Christ died for our sins." By His death He
becomes God's antitoxin to destroy the power of sin
and death, and to give life. God offers you this
spiritual antitoxin for your sin, even Jesus. If you
receive Him, you'll be saved. If you reject Him,
you'll perish. What will you do with His offer? He
waits for your response - waits that He may be
gracious to you and give you salvation. Don't neglect
it. There's no other salvation. God has no other
Savior. The Bible says, "Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
Click here to go
to the next message in this Sower Scripture Study on
the book of First Thessalonians.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
The Book of First Thessalonians:
Message Thirty Six
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
One day when
Henry Ward Beecher was going for a drive the
liveryman brought him a fine-looking horse. "Is
he as good as he looks?" asked Beecher.
"Yes," answered Sam, "he is. He's the
best horse in our stables. He'll work any place you
put him, and he'll do anything you ask him."
"I wish he was a member of my church,"
responded Beecher. The apostle Paul has some counsel
for Christians that will make them choice members.
Let's look at it.
First, there's
the encouragement. "Wherefore comfort
yourselves," says 1st
Thessalonians 5:11. The word "comfort" in
this verse wavers between comfort and encouragement.
The ideas of both words run close together. There are
some who think of comfort as reclining in a cozy
chair beside a warm fire on a stormy night. But the
very opposite is suggested. Here's a child, bearing a
big burden, on a dark and dangerous road, battling a
blinding storm. But alongside comes a gracious man.
He says, "The road's long and you're lonely.
Your burden is heavy and you're tired. Let me help
you." As he talks with him he takes his burden,
and as he companies with him he cheers him. And the
child is enheartened and emboldened. That's comfort,
and that's what you're to do with one another and for
one another. For three years a woman sat in her
rocking chair and never said a word to anybody. A
doctor was called on the case and he contacted a
nurse. "Mary," he said, "I'm giving
you a patient. Her name is Mrs. Brown. All I'm asking
you to do is to love her until she gets well."
The nurse got a rocking chair just like Mrs. Brown's.
She sat alongside her and comforted her morning,
noon, and night. On the third day Mrs. Brown spoke,
and in a week she was out of her shell, and she was
well. My friend, get alongside that brokenhearted
backslider and love that one back to the Lord. Get
alongside that discouraged disciple and encourage him
to endure. Oh,
"I want
to give to others hope and faith; I want to do all
that the Master saith;
I want to live
aright from day to day, because I shall not pass
again this way."
Second,
there's the edification. "Wherefore," says
the Bible, "edify one another." The word
"edify" means to build up. You either build
up or you tear down. You're either constructive or
you're destructive. It seems that there are so many
churches that have a wrecking crew. The folk on that
crew were "born in the objective case and the
kickative mood." They're like the deacon who was
hard of hearing. He used to cup his ears in a
business meeting and call out, "I didn't hear
what the brother said, but I'm against it." O,
build up, don't tear down. When D. L. Moody was
building up, a man said to him, "Your English is
poor. Can you not speak better?" Mr. Moody
answered, "I am doing the best I can for the
Lord with what I have; how about you?" Moody was
a builder. That man was a wrecker. Builders are
needed today. So
"A good
thing to remember and a better thing to do,
Is to work
with the construction gang and not the wrecking
crew."
Third, there's
the esteem. It's written in 1st
Thessalonians 5:12 and 13, "We beseech you,
brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are
over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem
them very highly in love for their work's sake."
Many years ago I used to play first violin in a
symphony orchestra. If each one of us musicians had
played a different tune what a terrible noise would
have filled that hall. But when our leader lifted his
hands we played in perfect harmony. If each church
member in your church plays a different tune, your
church has nothing to attract the world. I used to
play football. The eleven men on our team didn't go
in eleven different directions. As one man we worked
to score. If your church is to win, you must go out
as one man, under your leader, your pastor. We need
wise and holy leadership today, but we also need wise
and holy following. An army of captains and colonels
never won a battle. So the Bible says, "Get to
know those who work so hard among you. They are your
spiritual leaders to keep you on the right path.
Because of the high task of theirs, hold them in
highest honor." And go forth to win!
"Like a
mighty army moves the church of God,
Brothers, we
are treading where the saints have trod;
We are not
divided; all one body we,
One in hope
and doctrine, one in charity.
"Onward,
Christian soldiers, marching as to war;
With the cross
of Jesus going on before."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
Click here to go
to the next message in this Sower Scripture Study on
the book of First Thessalonians.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
