The Rescue Mission

Delivered from the wrath to come

Ephesians 2:3 “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 (NKJV)

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Cultural Context

Thessalonican culture was fully engaged in the worship of idols.

Polytheistic society: The worship of many gods.

Gods wrath revealed from heaven Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

The word “truth” in this verse means to deny & suppress God as obvious Sovereign Creator of all things.

Those not living the life of God through Christ are usually worshipping something else

Gods wrath revealed against idolatry

Idols can be in your mind, in your heart, or outwardly visible through statues or altars

Before our life in Christ we were idolaters under judgment. worshipping the idols of this world

Deuteronomy 4:23–24 “Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

But in Christ, we have been delivered/rescued from the judgement that comes from worshipping idols to worship the one true God 1 Thessalonians 1:9 “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”

God had a plan to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness

satan’s kingdom is a system of counterfeit worship Luke 4:5–7 “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.””

There is no neutrality Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

Now that we have chosen to follow Christ we have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness Colossians 1:13

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

Now we are holy and blameless in His sight having a new life.

Colossians 1:22 “in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

This rescue mission was planned from the foundation of the world Revelation 13:8 “All who dwell on the earth will worship him(the beast), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The word foundation is the word Katabole in the original language which means from the beginning of creation

We see after the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden The Lord God already showing us a glimpse of His plan of rescue by providing Adam and eve with a covering,but not a full completion of atonement for sin

The Hebrew word for atone was Kaphar, which means to hide or cover for someone, not charging someone with an offense or penalty.

Though Adam and Eve were covered by the animal skins The Lord God provided they still died and introduced the law of sin and death into the world. This still didn’t remove the penalty for sin. But God was waiting at the right time to appear and atone for sin once and for all.

1 John 3:5 “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.”

Before Christ all animal sacrifices were shadow and types of things to come which could not rescue us from the kingdom of darkness or Gods wrath.

Hebrews 10:1–4 (NKJV)

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

But Jesus came as a man to rescue us that through the offering of His body we may be justified before God

Hebrews 10:5–7 “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ””

The Only way for God to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness and His wrath was if He did it himself.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Everyone that has been rescued by God has been made alive by The Spirit just as Christ was and is now.

This is why Paul says we know no man after the flesh

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 (NKJV)

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Understanding this allows us to live the new life in Christ & allows us to die to the appetites of the flesh which so many struggle with today

Our generation is limited in realizing the lengths God has went to rescue us from His wrath and the powers of darkness which this world is under