Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come
1 Thessalonians 1.10
A deliverer is one who brings people out of danger into
safety
Have you ever looked at the stars at night? In the city you
might only see a few. Way out in the countryside you can see what seems like
millions and billions of stars. Abraham is well on his way to having that many children
in his family! One of his great-grandchildren was Joseph. You may have heard
about him because he loved to wear a colourful coat his dad gave him. He had that
coat because his dad liked Joseph best of all his sons.
God gave Joseph many great ideas, often in dreams. Joseph’s
brothers were tired of their father’s favourite son and his dreams, so they
sold him as a slave to people travelling to Egypt. Joseph had a hard time in
Egypt, but God protected him. He made Joseph smart and gave him the ability to
understand what dreams meant. Before long, Joseph was right beside the king,
Pharaoh, helping lead the whole country! His brothers did not think that would happen!
But famine was on its way to everyone in and around Egypt. Famine
means the ground would not grow food people needed. Hunger reached far and wide,
even all the way up to Joseph’s family! They headed to Egypt to buy food from
the only person who had it. They had no idea it was going to be their brother!
God gave Joseph good ideas to prepare for the famine. He had
everyone in Egypt store up food before the famine began. Joseph’s brothers got
a shock to see the brother they had sold as a slave helping to lead Egypt! They
pleaded with Joseph for forgiveness. God helped Joseph see something big, what his
brothers meant for evil, God meant for good, to help all of Abraham’s family have
food to survive. Before long, the whole family moved to be with Joseph in Egypt!
With God’s help, Joseph delivered his family and many others
from starving to death. God used Joseph to save Abraham’s family and keep His promise
to Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Jesus would
be not just a family member, but the Deliverer, too.
Jesus would one day deliver all the families of the earth from
a hunger for relationship with God. Joseph delivered his family from starving
to death. Jesus can deliver us from a forever death separated from God. Then, we
can be safe with God forever in heaven, filled with God’s love, happiness, and freedom.
But why does Jesus need to deliver us? God has the right to
be angry about our sin. Jesus accepted God’s anger and punishment (God’s wrath)
for our sin on the cross. Jesus delivered us from the punishment we deserve from
God by taking the punishment on Himself. Wow, isn’t that amazing? Jesus delivers
peace and a forever life close to God (in heaven) to all who have faith in Him.
Jesus is our Deliverer.
Joseph tells his brothers how he felt. Genesis 50.19-20
Things like pizza, mail, and packages are delivered every
day. Jesus is a much more important, eternal deliverer. What does Jesus deliver
to us?
If God could change the bad things that happened to Joseph into
good, how could we think or feel differently about bad things when they come?
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