Last Judgment at Epiphany
on
Grace, mercy and peace
through Jesus Christ, who will come to judge the living and the dead. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and
as a result you will be counted worthy of the
Judge Jesus
There are few pleasures
greater in life than watching someone get what’s coming to him. We have a
built-in sense of right and wrong, and feel a thrill when justice is done. You loved
it when your mom stuck it to your little brother, when your teacher yelled at the
class bully, when your camp counselor tore into the troublemakers, and admit it
... you love it when a cop pulls over the car that just shot past you at a recklessly
high rate of speed.
One of the best spots
for catching good, stern, tongue-lashing lectures today is the bench of lower court
TV judges – these guys … and gals, can lay into punks and deadbeats like a mad dean
of students on a caffeine high. That may explain the growing success of shows like
Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown. “When people listen to shenanigans,
they want the bad guys to be given a tongue lashing. I do that,” says Judge Judy,
the 56-year-old one-woman justice machine, a former
These judges are tough-talking,
no-nonsense dispensers of judgment, intolerant of excuses or rationalizations. What
has happened? Judgment is supposed to be out of style! We’re being brainwashed in
schools, churches, and workplaces to practice tolerance and acceptance, not criticism,
rejection and punishment! But there’s a craving deep in each of us for what is right
to be rewarded, and for what is wrong to be punished.
In our sermon text, the
apostle Paul speaks to the Thessalonians who were being persecuted, imprisoned and
murdered about justice and judgment. He speaks of punishment and reward: “All this
is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy
of the
Paul is writing to comfort
persecuted Christians in Thessalonica. He says God’s justice is coming. Those who
have persecuted Christians will one day see Christ coming as one dressed “in blazing
fire.” Christ holds back his punishment of these wicked men until the end of the
world lest in punishing them he also harms his beloved followers. So he lets the
“weeds” grow among the wheat, until it’s time for the harvest. Then, as Jesus puts
it in a parable, “At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds
and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into the
barn.” (Matthew 13:30) It may seem as if the wicked are getting away with their
evil right now, but God assures us that the fire of his almighty anger will blaze
against the wicked for an eternity.
There are two separate
groups that will be punished with hell. The first group is made up who “do not know
God.” That is, those who did not acknowledge him as God while they were living.
These people may have never heard the gospel, been visited by a Christian missionary,
or been inside of a church. But God says that they are still without excuse. God
has given each individual a natural knowledge of God. When a person sees the birth
of a baby, he has to know that this marvelous creation is not by chance. When he
sees the forces of nature, he must know there is a God who is powerful and almighty.
When his conscience burdens him, he must realize that there is a God to whom he
is ultimately responsible. God gives each individual this natural knowledge of an
almighty, divine, God of heaven and earth. God did this so that, as the Bible says,
“men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not
far from each one of us.” (Acts
Being ignorant of the
law is no excuse for breaking the law. Try getting out of a ticket by telling the
police officer that you never saw the speed limit sign telling you the speed limit
had changed from 55 to 25. Let me know how that works for you. These people who
did not know God will be without excuse. They suppressed the truth of God’s existence
that is visible all around them. Their foolish hearts were darkened. They worshiped
idols and reveled in their sins which they knew deserved punishment. For this refusal
to acknowledge what they knew about creation, Christ in blazing fire will punish
them.
The second group of people
who will be punished with hell are those who knew the true God, not only as the
God of creation, but also as their Savior God. But they refused to continue to believe.
They fell away from faith. They allowed their faith to be choked out by the worries,
sins and troubles of this world. They didn’t make use of God’s gospel and his sacraments.
They allowed work or sleep or family time to interfere with their worship of the
Savior God. They put all their time and effort into the hard study of God’s Word,
were confirmed and then … escaped. They were confirmed and then never heard from
again. They allowed some unrepentant sin to drive a wedge between God and themselves.
This is what God thinks
of these people: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a
fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies
of God. 29 How much do you think a man deserves to be punished who has
trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood
of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and
again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31)
The punishment Christ
will bring in blazing fire will be everlasting destruction. They will be going through
the process of destruction in the fire of hell, but that process will never end.
They will wish for their own annihilation, but their wish will not be granted. Their
agony will be even worse because they will experience separation from “the presence
of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”
“God is just: He will
pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who
are troubled, and to us as well.” God will bring his justice, judgment, and punishment
upon the enemies of his believers. Those who have tormented and persecuted Christians
will ultimately receive the just punishment for their wickedness. We find relief
in knowing that our God is not silent to our pains. Judge Jesus is a just judge.
So that the Thessalonians
don’t forget that God’s judgment is twofold, Paul returns to the positive side of
this judgment. On the day Christ comes like a blazing fire for the unbelieving and
the persecutors, on that same day Christ will come in an entirely different way
for the believers. He will come “to be glorified in his holy people.” Christ came
to redeem his people so that they might be with him eternally. Without them in heaven,
his plan of salvation would not be complete.
He will also come “to be marveled
at among all who have believed.” Because heaven is so far beyond description for
human beings, God tells us very little about what heaven will really be like. The
Bible says there will be no sorrows, only joy. There will be no sin, only righteousness.
Our bodies will no longer be weak or imperfect, but will be powerful, holy, and
perfect like Jesus’ glorious body.
There are a lot questions the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. Imagine
a young boy sitting down to eat a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake
at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when
his eyes are on that cake. And if the Lord had explained everything to us about
the eternal pleasures to come, I think we'd have a rough time with our spinach down
here.
There is either the inexpressible
glories of heaven or the intolerable penalties of hell? What are you ready to give
up to escape that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth? (Matthew 8:12)
What are you ready to do to escape that place where people scream for mercy, are
tormented, and cannot escape? (Luke 16:23-31) What are you willing to do to be free
from the unquenchable fire? (Mark
If you want hell to go
away, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want to enjoy heaven, then believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. Believe that Jesus Christ is your Savior, your
Substitute, your Sacrifice. The blood of Jesus Christ makes hell go away for all
who believe. It is Judge Jesus who makes you worthy to be counted in the numbers
of saints in the
Some may think, "It's
too easy. All I have to do is believe in Jesus and I escape hell and am given heaven?
It's too easy." If you're thinking that, I'm saying this: it is easy for you. It
was hardly easy for Jesus. To make hell go away for you, the sinless Son of God
had to leave heaven. To make hell go away for you, the Son of God was born in a
stable. Already there he was hated and harassed. To make hell go away for you, Jesus
had to leave home and family, and not have a place to lay his head. To make hell
go away for you, Jesus endured name-calling, hatred, murder threats, and lies. To
make hell go away for you, Jesus resisted every temptation that has ever tripped
you up; fulfilled every commandment that you have broken. To make hell go away for
you, he carried your sins, all of them, even those secret ones. To make hell go
away for you, Jesus was betrayed by a friend; deserted by others, railroaded in
a trial of religious leaders; framed in front of the Roman governor; and laughed
at by his king. To make hell go away for you, Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit upon,
crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross. Easy? Don't you think it. Not for a
minute.
To which any rational
person will say, "If all I have to do to make hell go away is believe on Jesus Christ,
why would anybody hesitate?" That’s a good question.
When you were a child,
did this ever happen to you? Your family went on a very long trip. Your brother
and you were arguing. You weren't arguing about anything important – "He's on my
side of the car"; "It's my turn for the window"; "He's looking at me funny." After
a number of "Knock it off, you guys" your dad finally took his eyes off the road,
half turned around and said, "If I have to say one more thing, I'm going to pull
this car over to the side of the road, and you kids are going to regret it." He
added, "You don't want me to do that, do you?"
Let's see, what were
the options? Keep arguing and get a licking, or behave and live happily ever after.
Without any discussion, your brother and you looked at each other and agreed. The
answer was obvious what you should do.
The answer is also obvious
about your eternal destination. Heaven or hell? Eternal life or eternal destruction?
Punishment or glory? To receive freedom from Judge Jesus or receive wrath from Him?
The answer should be obvious.
Through Jesus’ suffering,
death and resurrection we have been granted victory over death and guaranteed immediate
transfer to heaven when we die. We will be with Jesus, with the angels, with Christian
loved ones who have died, and with all God’s saints of all time in heaven. Give
up anything you have to in this life so that you don’t miss out on the next. Do
not take eternity lightly or treat your spiritual life with disinterest. Just like
standing in front of the judge is serious business, so standing in front of Judge
Jesus will be eternally serious. On Judgment Day, our deep craving for justice and
reward will finally be met. Amen.