After going to Calvary for pretty much half a year on-and-off, I’ve finally given them my visitor’s card, haha…so I’ve completed the first next step in learning more about this church. Now, if only I remembered to sign-up for the Newcomers Session…

How to Live While You Wait for Rescue

1 Thes. 1:9,10 [show] [9]For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, (ESV) [10]and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (ESV)

• Acts 1:11 [show] [11]and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (ESV)
  
• Here’s what the Bible says about your future:

1. There Is Wrath Coming
   • God will give conclusive decision/action (wrath); God will cry out and say ENOUGH!
   • Rom 1:18 [show] [18]For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (ESV)
     ; wrath is already coming…
     • when wrath being expressed: withdrawal of ability to praise, withdrawal of God’s influence and impact in world
   • Rom 2:5 [show] [5]But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (ESV)
     ; storing up wrath
   • absence of wrath = ambivalence
     • We don’t WANT to talk about a wrathful God…but God sans wrath is an ambivalent God; do you want this?
2. Jesus is alive, in heaven, and is coming to us
   • Is God saying to us: “in preparation of my wrath, I have prepared the Way”?
   • Acts 13 [show] Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2]While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." [3]Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. [4]So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5]When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. [6]When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. [7]He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. [8]But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. [9]But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10]and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11]And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12]Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. [13]Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, [14]but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. [15]After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." [16]So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. [17]The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. [18]And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. [19]And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. [20]All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. [21]Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. [22]And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' [23]Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. [24]Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25]And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' [26]"Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. [27]For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. [28]And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. [29]And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. [30]But God raised him from the dead, [31]and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. [32]And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, [33]this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.' [34]And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' [35]Therefore he says also in another psalm, "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' [36]For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, [37]but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. [38]Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, [39]and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. [40]Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: [41]"'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'" [42]As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. [43]And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. [44]The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45]But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46]And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47]For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" [48]And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49]And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50]But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51]But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. [52]And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (ESV)
     ; same message that Christ has prepared way & is coming
3. Connection b/w Jesus & escaping wrath
   • 3-6 of John (ch3? ch1? don’t remember…): choice is to reject&receive remaining wrath OR accept Jesus&have wrath removed
   • 1 Thes 1:9-10 [show] [9]For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, [10]and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (ESV)
     ; John 1:12 [show] [12]But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (ESV)
     ; escaping wrath requires conversion and belief of Christ

• Here’s how you should live and the choices you should make:
  • put faith in God (verse
    • living by 10 Commandments…is not enough nor sufficient!
      • many people miss/disobey the 1st Commandment (the most important)
    • turn away from idols; idols are:
      • first things we turn to when were in trouble
      • where we spend most time
      • what we rely on more than God
      • ie. finances, people…the Church itself (instead of God)
  • REPENT; not “reform, then return to God”…REPENT!
    • Acts 17 [show] Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. [2]And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, [3]explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." [4]And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. [5]But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. [6]And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, [7]and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." [8]And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. [9]And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. [10]The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. [11]Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. [12]Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. [13]But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. [14]Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. [15]Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. [16]Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. [17]So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. [18]Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. [19]And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? [20]For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." [21]Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. [22]So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. [23]For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. [24]The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, [25]nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. [26]And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, [27]that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, [28]for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.' [29]Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. [30]The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, [31]because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." [32]Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." [33]So Paul went out from their midst. [34]But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. (ESV)
      ; “wow, you’re very religious people…you even have an altar to the ‘Unknown god’”
      • John 4:24 [show] [24]God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (ESV)
        
    • turn away from your idols!!
  • serve Him; give full attention
    • turning and fully devoting life&time; not “throwing your life away”, its being all you can be
    • express glory of Christ
• God rescues those waiting in Him
  • Choose to go from fretting&fearing the future to “I can hardly wait!”
    • Acts 17:31 [show] [31]because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." (ESV)
      ; The tomb is empty, that is our hope!
    • to rescue us
  • instead of living enslaved to things that can’t help, totally dedicate yourself to the God who can rescue you
    • Greek ‘eck’ in “to rescue us…out of…”