I want to ask you, do you remember<\/p>\n
the last week, the last day of school<\/p>\n
when you were a child? You remember<\/p>\n
that? Do you remember how good that week<\/p>\n
felt? Do you remember how excited you<\/p>\n
were? Do you remember like just the<\/p>\n
feelings of freedom that were welling<\/p>\n
up? Like the fre the feelings that all<\/p>\n
the weight of the school year were being<\/p>\n
like lifted off of you. They were just<\/p>\n
disappearing. Do you remember that? I<\/p>\n
want you to hold that in your mind.<\/p>\n
Remember when you were kids and you felt<\/p>\n
that? Also, by the way, teachers feel<\/p>\n
that same way as well. They they're<\/p>\n
ready. Um parents, what about y'all? How<\/p>\n
do y'all feel about that day? I think<\/p>\n
it's a different perspective, right? You<\/p>\n
there's two different perspectives going<\/p>\n
on there. Um children, I mean, we are<\/p>\n
when you're a kid and you're getting<\/p>\n
ready for<\/p>\n
the last day of school. But basically,<\/p>\n
you start the school year ready for the<\/p>\n
last day of school and you're waiting<\/p>\n
and you're counting down the days and<\/p>\n
you're eager. You can't wait. And that<\/p>\n
last day, I don't know about in your<\/p>\n
school, but in my school, we didn't do<\/p>\n
anything. The teachers had no power over<\/p>\n
us.<\/p>\n
Homework, where is thy sting? You know,<\/p>\n
it was this amazing, wonderful feeling.<\/p>\n
This joy and celebration had come.<\/p>\n
parents though it was this kind of oh no<\/p>\n
oh no it's come again this day and then<\/p>\n
they start checking their calendar when<\/p>\n
is the school going to start again and<\/p>\n
they sit around when they can get rid of<\/p>\n
us and think I wish we'd all been ready<\/p>\n
for this day this awful day of gloom but<\/p>\n
they realize too late they're not ready<\/p>\n
for that day<\/p>\n
it's it's it's<\/p>\n
a day of of reckoning for parents if if<\/p>\n
you will. Um, and if you've ever had<\/p>\n
kids go to school, you'll know that. But<\/p>\n
if you've probably been to school<\/p>\n
at Grace Fellowship, our church in uh,<\/p>\n
Prowet, we are we have just finished a<\/p>\n
sermon series on the big picture of<\/p>\n
scripture. The big um, yeah, the big<\/p>\n
picture of scripture, surveying all<\/p>\n
these big events that happened in in<\/p>\n
scripture. And um we spent seven weeks<\/p>\n
kind of looking at what were the big<\/p>\n
events that happened. And I encourage<\/p>\n
them as a way of illustration to think<\/p>\n
of these big events as mountains in a<\/p>\n
mountain range. It's just a way for us<\/p>\n
to in a sense get to know the geography<\/p>\n
of the Bible so that we can orient<\/p>\n
ourselves where we are. Um and uh I<\/p>\n
don't know if you've you've I maybe have<\/p>\n
used this before, but when I lived in<\/p>\n
Shanghai, uh how many of you have been<\/p>\n
to Shang Mai? Raise your hand. Okay, so<\/p>\n
if you've been to Shang Mai, you'll know<\/p>\n
there's a mountain and there's a few<\/p>\n
mountains, but there is really one<\/p>\n
mountain there in Shiang Mai and it's<\/p>\n
kind of hard to get lost if you know<\/p>\n
where the mountain is and and where you<\/p>\n
are in in relation to that mountain. So,<\/p>\n
we'd have visitors come to Shang Mai and<\/p>\n
um and come and visit us and I'd have to<\/p>\n
go to work and I'd say, \"Well, just go<\/p>\n
and play and and uh you you can't get<\/p>\n
lost. We live at the base of the<\/p>\n
mountain. If you want to find your way<\/p>\n
back home, just look look up to the<\/p>\n
mountain. then you'll know where you are<\/p>\n
in the city and you'll know how to get<\/p>\n
back home.<\/p>\n
In the same way, I think that these big<\/p>\n
events in scripture help us orient<\/p>\n
ourselves to where we are in scripture<\/p>\n
to where uh where we go, how to live and<\/p>\n
where we're going. And the Bible is full<\/p>\n
of these big mountain tops, you know,<\/p>\n
the creation, the fall, uh the promised<\/p>\n
land, the Messiah, and and it's also<\/p>\n
full of these valleys, you know, in<\/p>\n
between times, these vast sections of<\/p>\n
time where we're in between these<\/p>\n
mountains that you see up here.<\/p>\n
But how do we navigate the valleys?<\/p>\n
Well, we look to the mountains. We look<\/p>\n
to the mountains. And if we think<\/p>\n
about the the Bible, the whole Bible as<\/p>\n
a series, as a mountain range, we can<\/p>\n
think of it this way that um<\/p>\n
all these all these mountains that have<\/p>\n
gone before,<\/p>\n
creation, fall, covenant, Exodus,<\/p>\n
promised land, Messiah. These are all<\/p>\n
mountains that we've gone to before.<\/p>\n
They're in the rear view mirror. As we<\/p>\n
think about the people of God, we we<\/p>\n
have been there before. Now, you and I<\/p>\n
may not have been there when Jesus was<\/p>\n
born, but our people, our family were<\/p>\n
were there. We were we were there. We've<\/p>\n
been there. Today, we're going to look<\/p>\n
at the last mountain, the one that is<\/p>\n
still ahead of us, in front of us. And<\/p>\n
that's the return of Christ. And it's<\/p>\n
this mountain looms large not only in<\/p>\n
the New Testament. It's not a New<\/p>\n
Testament thing. It's a it's a whole<\/p>\n
Bible thing. In the Old Testament, it's<\/p>\n
called the day of the Lord. In the New<\/p>\n
Testament, it's called the day of the<\/p>\n
Lord or the return of Christ or<\/p>\n
sometimes it's referred to as his<\/p>\n
appearing.<\/p>\n
We haven't reached this mountain yet,<\/p>\n
but I want to make the case to you that<\/p>\n
this mountain shapes what we do right<\/p>\n
now. It shapes the way we hope, the way<\/p>\n
we decide, the way we think, the way we<\/p>\n
feel, the way we treat each other, the<\/p>\n
way that we are, the way we act as a<\/p>\n
community here. It it should shape<\/p>\n
everything.<\/p>\n
And I want to ask you a question before<\/p>\n
we go into before we dive into this<\/p>\n
passage.<\/p>\n
Do you think about,<\/p>\n
anticipate,<\/p>\n
long for, look for, search for<\/p>\n
this day, the day that Jesus will<\/p>\n
return? Is this something that is<\/p>\n
central in your mind, central in your<\/p>\n
heart,<\/p>\n
or do you just think it's too<\/p>\n
mysterious, too vague, too in the future<\/p>\n
to worry about right now? because I<\/p>\n
think there's a a a way that we go too<\/p>\n
far on either side. We become overly<\/p>\n
obsessed and make tribulation charts and<\/p>\n
all that stuff or we just don't think<\/p>\n
about it at all. But I think we cannot<\/p>\n
come to the New Testament much less the<\/p>\n
Bible as a whole without thinking about<\/p>\n
this day.<\/p>\n
I want to propose that this day, this<\/p>\n
return of Christ, the day of the Lord<\/p>\n
should be central. It should be the the<\/p>\n
mountain that's central in our thoughts<\/p>\n
and in our prayers and the way we think<\/p>\n
about our walk with Christ in the way<\/p>\n
that we make decisions and the way that<\/p>\n
we pray and the way that we share the<\/p>\n
gospel. The day this day of the Lord, it<\/p>\n
looms large in all of scripture.<\/p>\n
And much like the end of school that we<\/p>\n
talked about earlier,<\/p>\n
there are two separate reactions to this<\/p>\n
day. There are two separate realities<\/p>\n
tied to this day. And it has<\/p>\n
implications for all our all of life.<\/p>\n
And I w to<\/p>\n
I want to propose that the uh let me see<\/p>\n
what do we have here. I want to look at<\/p>\n
it three way. Yeah, here we go. Um three<\/p>\n
ways. The day of the Lord is a day of<\/p>\n
salvation and rejoicing. So it's a day<\/p>\n
of salvation and rejoicing. Two, it's<\/p>\n
also a day of wrath and weeping. And<\/p>\n
three, it's a day that's near.<\/p>\n
So before we read this passage, let me<\/p>\n
pray and um let's dive into this<\/p>\n
together and see what God has to say<\/p>\n
about his great and terrible and<\/p>\n
wonderful day.<\/p>\n
Let's pray.<\/p>\n
Father, this is not<\/p>\n
just a fairy tale. It's not just a<\/p>\n
story.<\/p>\n
It's not a dream. It's real. It's<\/p>\n
happening. This is something that is<\/p>\n
real. You are returning.<\/p>\n
You will come back. There is one sure<\/p>\n
future and that is a future with you as<\/p>\n
king over all the earth, reigning<\/p>\n
and dwelling with your people.<\/p>\n
And it also entails that you will remove<\/p>\n
any obstacle to your kingdom. Lord, let<\/p>\n
this day<\/p>\n
captivate us.<\/p>\n
Let it fill us with a sense of purpose<\/p>\n
and awe<\/p>\n
and love and even fear as we think about<\/p>\n
what you're telling us in the New<\/p>\n
Testament here and in the Old Testament<\/p>\n
as well.<\/p>\n
Lord, bless this reading and preaching<\/p>\n
of the word. Help our hearts to receive<\/p>\n
it in Christ's name. Amen.<\/p>\n
Um, so I'm going to apologize in<\/p>\n
advance.<\/p>\n
I'm going to start off. I'm going to<\/p>\n
kick us off with Revelation 4-8. And<\/p>\n
that's just going to be kind of the<\/p>\n
background, the the the foundation. And<\/p>\n
there, this is going to be a little bit<\/p>\n
of a survey. So, I'm going to use a fair<\/p>\n
amount of scripture. I'm going to try to<\/p>\n
keep them short and relevant. And uh but<\/p>\n
I want us to see that this is<\/p>\n
ubiquitous. This is everywhere in the<\/p>\n
New Testament. This is everywhere and<\/p>\n
it's such a central concept for who we<\/p>\n
are as God's people. But let's start<\/p>\n
with John and what he says in<\/p>\n
Revelation. Grace to you and peace from<\/p>\n
him who is and who was and who is to<\/p>\n
come and from the seven spirits who were<\/p>\n
before his throne.<\/p>\n
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful<\/p>\n
witness,<\/p>\n
the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler<\/p>\n
of the kings of the earth. To him who<\/p>\n
loves us and who has freed us from our<\/p>\n
sins by his blood and made us a kingdom,<\/p>\n
priest to his God and father. To him be<\/p>\n
glory and dominion forever and ever.<\/p>\n
Amen. Behold, he is coming with the<\/p>\n
clouds, and every eye will see him, even<\/p>\n
those who pierced him, and all the<\/p>\n
tribes of the earth will wail on account<\/p>\n
of him. Even so, amen. I am the Alpha<\/p>\n
and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is<\/p>\n
and who was and who is to come, the<\/p>\n
Almighty.<\/p>\n
So first of all, I want us to see how<\/p>\n
this day, the Lord's day, the the day of<\/p>\n
the Lord that is is a day of salvation<\/p>\n
and rejoicing.<\/p>\n
Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews, Hebrews<\/p>\n
9 tells us this. But he has has appeared<\/p>\n
once and for all at the culmination of<\/p>\n
the ages to do away with sin by the by<\/p>\n
the sacrifice of himself. Just as people<\/p>\n
are destined to to die once and after<\/p>\n
that to face judgment, so Christ was<\/p>\n
sacrificed once to take the away take<\/p>\n
away the sins of many and he will appear<\/p>\n
a second time not to bear sin but to<\/p>\n
bring salvation to those who are waiting<\/p>\n
for him. And then Peter, he says it this<\/p>\n
way to these exiled Christians all over<\/p>\n
Asia. And when the chief shepherd<\/p>\n
appears, you will receive the crown of<\/p>\n
glory that will never fade away. And<\/p>\n
then Paul says it this way, being<\/p>\n
confident of this, that he who began a<\/p>\n
good work in you will carry it on to<\/p>\n
completion until the day of Christ<\/p>\n
Jesus. So each of these passages<\/p>\n
actually tell the same story. This is<\/p>\n
this is um the same thing that they're<\/p>\n
saying over and over here. The salvation<\/p>\n
that we have because of the first<\/p>\n
appearance of Christ will be made<\/p>\n
perfect<\/p>\n
upon his second appearing. So this first<\/p>\n
appearing brought salvation, brought<\/p>\n
mercy. And then this second appearing<\/p>\n
for those who are in Jesus actually<\/p>\n
brings a completion, a perfection of<\/p>\n
that salvation. So it's it's not that we<\/p>\n
aren't saved now, you know, because all<\/p>\n
of us who trust in Jesus, anyone who<\/p>\n
rests in him surely is saved. We are<\/p>\n
his. The scriptures tell us that the<\/p>\n
Holy Spirit is the deposit is his<\/p>\n
deposit for our salvation. that nothing<\/p>\n
if we are in Christ, nothing can<\/p>\n
separate us from the love of Christ, the<\/p>\n
love of God in Christ Jesus. We are<\/p>\n
definitely his. We are saved if we are<\/p>\n
in him.<\/p>\n
But the the way that the scripture<\/p>\n
writers, the way that the New Testament<\/p>\n
presents this is that there's something<\/p>\n
still kind of incomplete about our<\/p>\n
salvation,<\/p>\n
which sounds weird to say, but it we<\/p>\n
still struggle. We still face troubles.<\/p>\n
We still have this sinful flesh that<\/p>\n
we're bound to. We still<\/p>\n
worry and face fears and have live in a<\/p>\n
world that is broken<\/p>\n
and cursed. But what Christ is bringing<\/p>\n
that we see here, what Peter and Paul<\/p>\n
and the writer of Hebrews all tell us<\/p>\n
about this was that the complete<\/p>\n
and utter end of sin, of death, of our<\/p>\n
struggle with our own flesh,<\/p>\n
a complete end to the curse that all of<\/p>\n
creation is under is coming with Jesus.<\/p>\n
That is the completion. That is the<\/p>\n
salvation that he talks about that he's<\/p>\n
bringing not to bear sin. He he's not<\/p>\n
coming back a second time to bear sin<\/p>\n
but to bring salvation to those of us<\/p>\n
who already have that salvation but have<\/p>\n
to complete this salvation.<\/p>\n
And so this is the reason that so much<\/p>\n
of the focus of the New Testament is on<\/p>\n
the return of Christ. It's this long<\/p>\n
awaited day when all the people of God,<\/p>\n
which all the people of God have been<\/p>\n
waiting for for all time, we finally get<\/p>\n
what we've been waiting for. Not just<\/p>\n
salvation, but complete salvation.<\/p>\n
Listen to the way that Peter describes<\/p>\n
it. We just talked about this in our um<\/p>\n
assurance of salvation. In his great<\/p>\n
mercy, he has given us new birth into a<\/p>\n
living hope through the resurrection of<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ from the dead and into an<\/p>\n
inheritance that can never perish, spoil<\/p>\n
or fade. And this inheritance is kept<\/p>\n
for you, sorry, kept in heaven for you<\/p>\n
who through faith are shielded by God's<\/p>\n
power until the coming of salvation that<\/p>\n
is ready to be revealed in the last<\/p>\n
time. So he's reminding these exiled,<\/p>\n
oppressed, homesick Christians who are<\/p>\n
scattered around Asia. And he's also<\/p>\n
telling this to us<\/p>\n
what God has already done for us in that<\/p>\n
he has bought us sure salvation.<\/p>\n
What he will do, he'll bring the<\/p>\n
completion of that salvation when he<\/p>\n
appears. And that this salvation, this<\/p>\n
complete defeat of evil, sin, death,<\/p>\n
and that our relationship with him<\/p>\n
cannot be lost because God himself is<\/p>\n
keeping it for us in heaven.<\/p>\n
This is really good news. Have you ever<\/p>\n
looked or have you ever looked at<\/p>\n
yourself in the mirror? Ever thought to<\/p>\n
yourself, why do I struggle so much? Why<\/p>\n
do I keep sinning the way that I I sin?<\/p>\n
Have you ever doubted your salvation?<\/p>\n
Have you ever wondered, \"Am I even<\/p>\n
saved?\" You don't have to raise your<\/p>\n
hand, but I have. I've sinned so much<\/p>\n
that I thought, am I even really his?<\/p>\n
Have you ever wondered why there's so<\/p>\n
much pain and death and hurt and<\/p>\n
darkness around us<\/p>\n
that this salvation that he's bringing<\/p>\n
says that there is an end to that that<\/p>\n
this day of the Lord, this return of<\/p>\n
Christ is the day when he brings a<\/p>\n
complete end to all of that. But that's<\/p>\n
not all he brings.<\/p>\n
Listen out. Listen to what else he tells<\/p>\n
his disciples as he's getting ready to<\/p>\n
leave him. He says,<\/p>\n
\"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You<\/p>\n
believe in God, believe also in me.<\/p>\n
My father's house has many rooms. And if<\/p>\n
that were not so, would I have told you<\/p>\n
that I am going to prepare a place for<\/p>\n
you? And if I go and prepare a place for<\/p>\n
you, I will come back and I will take<\/p>\n
you to be with me that you may be with<\/p>\n
me where I am.\" And then Paul echoes<\/p>\n
that. He says,<\/p>\n
\"For the Lord himself will descend from<\/p>\n
heaven with a cry of command, with the<\/p>\n
voice of an archangel and with the sound<\/p>\n
of a trumpet of God. And the dead in<\/p>\n
Christ will rise first, and then we who<\/p>\n
are alive, who are left, will be caught<\/p>\n
up together with them in the clouds to<\/p>\n
meet the Lord in the air.\"<\/p>\n
And so we will always be with the Lord.<\/p>\n
We will always be with the Lord.<\/p>\n
Ha. Have you ever been away from home<\/p>\n
for a long time, for a long long time,<\/p>\n
and then got the chance to go back home?<\/p>\n
You know, you're away from the people<\/p>\n
who love you most, from the people you<\/p>\n
love most.<\/p>\n
From the food you love most, from the<\/p>\n
place where you grew up, and then you<\/p>\n
got that chance to go back. Do you<\/p>\n
remember what it felt like to turn the<\/p>\n
last corner before you got to your<\/p>\n
house, before you got to where you grew<\/p>\n
up?<\/p>\n
Do you remember that feeling of coming<\/p>\n
home?<\/p>\n
This is the story of the whole Bible.<\/p>\n
This is it. This is the story. It's the<\/p>\n
story of exiles who are brought back<\/p>\n
home. It's the story of a father who<\/p>\n
loves us, who loves his children even<\/p>\n
though we reject him. Even though<\/p>\n
we rebel against him, we abandon him.<\/p>\n
A father who pays our shameful debts,<\/p>\n
who actually takes the punishment that<\/p>\n
we deserve, and then who runs out to<\/p>\n
find us and to bring us back home.<\/p>\n
The return of Christ is really for us<\/p>\n
who are believers, it is<\/p>\n
it is the reality that our long exile is<\/p>\n
done. It's over. It's ended. We go home.<\/p>\n
And and more than that really, it's that<\/p>\n
home comes to us<\/p>\n
inseparably. We can never be separated<\/p>\n
from home again. It means that now the<\/p>\n
most precious of all the covenant<\/p>\n
promises are finally completely<\/p>\n
perfectly true. That God will be our God<\/p>\n
and that we will be his people and that<\/p>\n
he will dwell with us forever and ever.<\/p>\n
So I just want to encourage you to think<\/p>\n
that this day whether you ever see this<\/p>\n
day is your great hope. It is the day<\/p>\n
that we long for. It is the day that we<\/p>\n
as God's people long for and eagerly<\/p>\n
await<\/p>\n
for all of us who believe in him and<\/p>\n
rest in him.<\/p>\n
That day will be a day of rejoicing<\/p>\n
only. a day of rejoicing and<\/p>\n
celebration. On that day, all pain, all<\/p>\n
sorrow, all suffering that we have met<\/p>\n
in this life won't be worthy to be<\/p>\n
compared to the glory that we will<\/p>\n
receive and be revealed in us. So, the<\/p>\n
return of Christ, the day of the Lord is<\/p>\n
a day of hope, celebration, joy, and<\/p>\n
rest for those of us who are in Christ.<\/p>\n
The second<\/p>\n
side of this is it is also a day of<\/p>\n
wrath and weeping.<\/p>\n
So when we survey the the scriptures we<\/p>\n
see that this is a day of anguish of<\/p>\n
wrath and throughout the scriptures if<\/p>\n
we look even from old testament all the<\/p>\n
way to new from beginning to end God's<\/p>\n
people have always anxiously and eagerly<\/p>\n
awaited the day of the lord not just<\/p>\n
because that's the day when they will<\/p>\n
have a day of rejoicing and rest and<\/p>\n
celebration but it's also a day in which<\/p>\n
their enemies will be put down their<\/p>\n
they will be vindicated vindicated.<\/p>\n
Finally, when God will come as king and<\/p>\n
establish his rule upon the earth where<\/p>\n
he will bring perfect justice to an<\/p>\n
unjust world. And and I just want to<\/p>\n
confess to you right now and to<\/p>\n
acknowledge that what we're about to<\/p>\n
talk about is a really hard topic. And I<\/p>\n
don't have all the answers or even the<\/p>\n
answers that might be satisfying to each<\/p>\n
of you in this passage as we're going to<\/p>\n
talk about it.<\/p>\n
But I do want to propose that this is<\/p>\n
we we can't divorce this aspect of the<\/p>\n
day of the Lord from the scriptures.<\/p>\n
That that this is part of it and that<\/p>\n
this is a glorious good part of the day<\/p>\n
of the Lord. And so there's lots of<\/p>\n
places we could go in the New Testament<\/p>\n
to get there, but we're just going to<\/p>\n
focus right here on 2 Thessalonians<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
3 uh sorry 2 Thessalonians 1. So let me<\/p>\n
read this<\/p>\n
verse 6 through9. Since indeed God<\/p>\n
considered is it just to repay with<\/p>\n
affliction those who afflict you and to<\/p>\n
grant relief to you who are afflicted as<\/p>\n
well as to us<\/p>\n
when the Lord Jesus is revealed from<\/p>\n
heaven with his mighty angels in flaming<\/p>\n
fire inflicting vengeance on those who<\/p>\n
do not know God and on those who do not<\/p>\n
obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They<\/p>\n
will suffer the punishment of eternal<\/p>\n
destruction away from the presence of<\/p>\n
the Lord and from the glory of his<\/p>\n
might. This is a terrifying image. This<\/p>\n
is a truly fearful image.<\/p>\n
Often when we think about Jesus, we<\/p>\n
think about this meek, mild, footwashing<\/p>\n
servant that we see often in the<\/p>\n
gospels.<\/p>\n
But this picture of Christ, like in<\/p>\n
Revelation 19,<\/p>\n
is the picture of a great king who comes<\/p>\n
to defeat his enemies and to establish<\/p>\n
his kingdom once and for all. And so we<\/p>\n
read earlier in Hebrews that Christ came<\/p>\n
once to deal with sin, to deal with the<\/p>\n
penalty and punishment due to all<\/p>\n
sinners, for all who rest in him, to all<\/p>\n
who take refuge in him. He came for<\/p>\n
that. But here we see that Christ comes<\/p>\n
again, not in mercy or in meekness, but<\/p>\n
in power and glory and bringing judgment<\/p>\n
with him. And this time he comes not to<\/p>\n
deal with sin<\/p>\n
in mercy on behalf of those who take<\/p>\n
refuge, but to deal with sin, to deal<\/p>\n
with sinners, to deal with his enemies.<\/p>\n
And who who are the enemies of Christ?<\/p>\n
And it's it's simple in this passage.<\/p>\n
Those who do not know God, who do not<\/p>\n
obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ.<\/p>\n
The enemies of Jesus are those who do<\/p>\n
not know him and do not obey him.<\/p>\n
All who have ignored him. Anyone who's<\/p>\n
rejected him. All who have refused to<\/p>\n
bow in allegiance to him. Anyone who's<\/p>\n
decided, I just don't want him. I don't<\/p>\n
want him to be my king or my God or my<\/p>\n
savior. I don't need him. That's the<\/p>\n
enemy of Christ.<\/p>\n
And I I know like I feel this sometimes<\/p>\n
because I know good people who are not<\/p>\n
in who are not believers. I know people<\/p>\n
that I love who are not believers. And<\/p>\n
it feels unfair. It feels like, well,<\/p>\n
why can't we just be good? Why can't we<\/p>\n
just all be good people? And isn't that<\/p>\n
enough? Why does there have to be the<\/p>\n
punishment of eternal destruction away<\/p>\n
from the presence of the Lord and from<\/p>\n
the glory of his might that we see in<\/p>\n
verse 9? Well, again, I'm not going to<\/p>\n
satisfy you with this answer, but the<\/p>\n
answer is fairly simple, although it may<\/p>\n
not be easy. It's that he's the king.<\/p>\n
He's the king. His glory has been<\/p>\n
evident since the creation of the world.<\/p>\n
His power and majesty are evident in<\/p>\n
creation. And his word is going forth,<\/p>\n
has gone forth throughout all creation.<\/p>\n
And the king says to us, I am the Lord.<\/p>\n
That is my name. My glory I give to no<\/p>\n
other, and more my praise to carved<\/p>\n
idols. He's the king and he won't have<\/p>\n
rivals.<\/p>\n
He won't have rivals. When he comes, he<\/p>\n
comes with an unshakable, unconquerable<\/p>\n
kingdom.<\/p>\n
He comes to bring wrath and judgment<\/p>\n
upon anything or anyone that opposes<\/p>\n
that kingdom.<\/p>\n
And he comes to bring true justice, real<\/p>\n
justice, to a world that is full of<\/p>\n
darkness. and injustice. So that when we<\/p>\n
think about this, we think we we we when<\/p>\n
we look towards this mountain, this day<\/p>\n
of the Lord, we see that every sin,<\/p>\n
every wrong that has ever been done,<\/p>\n
every evil not covered by his atoning<\/p>\n
blood<\/p>\n
will be justly judged. And the judgment,<\/p>\n
that judgment will be the wrath, the<\/p>\n
eternal wrath of God for all who've<\/p>\n
rejected him. This is a hard hard truth,<\/p>\n
but it's all over the New Testament. So,<\/p>\n
the day of the Lord, the return of<\/p>\n
Christ then is a day of weeping, of<\/p>\n
anguish, and darkness for all those who<\/p>\n
are outside of Christ. And then lastly,<\/p>\n
it's a day that is near. It's a day that<\/p>\n
is at hand, as some say.<\/p>\n
Want to ask and I'm just going to raise<\/p>\n
my hand. Go ahead and confess here. who<\/p>\n
struggles with procrastination.<\/p>\n
That's like all of us really. It's not<\/p>\n
there's like half of us said yes and<\/p>\n
then half of us are lying. Really? Um we<\/p>\n
all struggle with procrastination. So<\/p>\n
when sometimes we know we have something<\/p>\n
to do and then we just put it off and<\/p>\n
put it off and then finally we've got to<\/p>\n
do it at the very last minute.<\/p>\n
I think that carries over to our<\/p>\n
spiritual life as well. We all suffer<\/p>\n
from time to time with spiritual<\/p>\n
procrastination. We tend to think, \"I'm<\/p>\n
young.<\/p>\n
I have plenty of time to get right with<\/p>\n
God, to walk with God, to get serious<\/p>\n
about God.\" But the problem is is that<\/p>\n
we you never really feel old enough. Do<\/p>\n
you like you never I still feel like I'm<\/p>\n
about 25. Kiki says it's 12. I can lower<\/p>\n
that number to 12. But we we never feel<\/p>\n
ready. We never feel like we're mature,<\/p>\n
like we're pooy enough to do this.<\/p>\n
This spiritual procrastination actually<\/p>\n
trains our hearts. It trains our minds<\/p>\n
and our souls<\/p>\n
to feel<\/p>\n
to feel like I just not hunger for God's<\/p>\n
presence, for God's coming, for Christ's<\/p>\n
coming.<\/p>\n
But the way that the scripture writers<\/p>\n
write here both in the Old and New<\/p>\n
Testament, the way that they talk about<\/p>\n
Christ, his appearing should actually<\/p>\n
kill this spiritual procrastination.<\/p>\n
Both Old Testament prophets and New<\/p>\n
Testament apostles and writers, they<\/p>\n
warn us against this spiritual lethargy<\/p>\n
that we're prone to to feel about our<\/p>\n
souls and about last things. And so<\/p>\n
again and again, we read in the<\/p>\n
scriptures, the the end is at hand. the<\/p>\n
end of all things is at hand. And then<\/p>\n
Jesus himself over and over, I'm coming<\/p>\n
quickly. If you read Revelation, I'm<\/p>\n
coming quickly. It's a it's a it's a<\/p>\n
liturgy that happens through that that<\/p>\n
book.<\/p>\n
And the reason they keep doing this<\/p>\n
is it's to urge us to repentance, to<\/p>\n
urge us to grow in our love for him, to<\/p>\n
to set our hearts on him. They want us<\/p>\n
to live our lives in such a way that<\/p>\n
we're ready. We're just ready for him to<\/p>\n
appear. We're ready for the king to show<\/p>\n
up. And actually, that's a that's a<\/p>\n
really good way for us to think about<\/p>\n
and to kind of test our own hearts in<\/p>\n
our day-to-day decisions, right? If<\/p>\n
Jesus, Think about any area of life<\/p>\n
where you're making a decision. If Jesus<\/p>\n
were to show up right now in the middle<\/p>\n
of me doing this thing, how would I feel<\/p>\n
about it? Would I feel that I am<\/p>\n
honoring him? Would he feel pleased with<\/p>\n
what I'm doing? The point of all this is<\/p>\n
that the writers of scripture believe<\/p>\n
that the day of the Lord, the return of<\/p>\n
Christ<\/p>\n
should have an effect on the way we live<\/p>\n
our day-to-day life.<\/p>\n
It should matter when we wake up in the<\/p>\n
morning.<\/p>\n
And I want to give you three ways it<\/p>\n
should matter. One, it's a day that we<\/p>\n
it it should cause us to set our hearts<\/p>\n
and our hope on that day.<\/p>\n
It should cause us to set our hearts and<\/p>\n
our hope on that day.<\/p>\n
Paul says this, \"Henceforth, there is<\/p>\n
laid up for me the crown of<\/p>\n
righteousness, which the Lord, the<\/p>\n
righteous judge, will award to me on<\/p>\n
that day, and not only to me, but to all<\/p>\n
who have loved his appearing.\" So, as we<\/p>\n
saw earlier, when Jesus returns, he<\/p>\n
brings complete freedom and all the<\/p>\n
benefits of our salvation. So,<\/p>\n
everything that is promised in our<\/p>\n
salvation<\/p>\n
happens. It comes it's it becomes<\/p>\n
perfect and complete on that day. And<\/p>\n
what's more, he rem he he moves his<\/p>\n
throne from heaven to earth to be with<\/p>\n
his people. He doesn't just take us<\/p>\n
home. He brings home to us forever. And<\/p>\n
he restores everything that was lost in<\/p>\n
the fall. He comes and he brings us<\/p>\n
paradise, the kingdom, and he puts an<\/p>\n
end to all that's wrong with this world.<\/p>\n
He brings full, perfect, permanent<\/p>\n
salvation. And the scope of this<\/p>\n
salvation is not just personal, it's<\/p>\n
cosmic. And so when the writers of the<\/p>\n
Bible talk about this day, they speak<\/p>\n
they speak about this day with a really<\/p>\n
deep joy and a longing that you can feel<\/p>\n
when you're reading them. This isn't<\/p>\n
merely waiting. You know, you can wait<\/p>\n
kind of passively.<\/p>\n
If you're a foreigner here, or if you're<\/p>\n
anybody who's gotten your driver's<\/p>\n
license, there's a way to wait that's<\/p>\n
passive. You're just marking the time,<\/p>\n
right? you you sit at the DMV or<\/p>\n
whatever you call it here and you're<\/p>\n
just you're just waiting for your Q<\/p>\n
number. So you're you know you're<\/p>\n
playing Candy Crush or whatever. I don't<\/p>\n
know what you play. That's what my wife<\/p>\n
plays. Um and I read a book. I'm much<\/p>\n
more holy, you know. No, no, no. Don't<\/p>\n
tell her that. She's not watching<\/p>\n
anyway. So um but we wait passively. We<\/p>\n
that's the way we generally wait for<\/p>\n
things. But the the word that Paul uses<\/p>\n
here, it's it's a it's not just wait.<\/p>\n
It's not just just kind of mark time,<\/p>\n
but it's a deep<\/p>\n
aching longing. I think in Thai it says<\/p>\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n
But for us, you know, in in English it<\/p>\n
says to all who have loved his<\/p>\n
appearing. To all who have loved his<\/p>\n
appearing. This is the kind of waiting<\/p>\n
that a bride or a groom waits with. It's<\/p>\n
a bride. In fact, this is if we believe<\/p>\n
John, if we believe Revelation 19 and<\/p>\n
21, this is the exact kind of waiting.<\/p>\n
It is a it is a longing. It is a I'm<\/p>\n
setting my hope on this day.<\/p>\n
That's the way we wait.<\/p>\n
We re we wait in such a way that<\/p>\n
our lives take shape around this<\/p>\n
waiting.<\/p>\n
We will receive the crown of<\/p>\n
righteousness if we love<\/p>\n
if we long for his appearing. It means<\/p>\n
that really it just means that the<\/p>\n
presence of the king in our lives is the<\/p>\n
most important thing in our every day.<\/p>\n
It's everything for us. It's whom have I<\/p>\n
in heaven but you and earth has nothing<\/p>\n
I desire besides you. My flesh and my<\/p>\n
heart may fail but God is the strength<\/p>\n
of my heart and my portion forever. It's<\/p>\n
that kind of waiting. It's saying this<\/p>\n
is it. This is all I want. It's<\/p>\n
everything. So our first duty is to love<\/p>\n
God<\/p>\n
to set our hope to set our heart on his<\/p>\n
This is a good question for us. Do you<\/p>\n
love? Do you long for his appearing?<\/p>\n
Secondly, we prepare ourselves<\/p>\n
for this.<\/p>\n
So this naturally follows if we are<\/p>\n
waiting not just passively but actively<\/p>\n
we are actively setting our hearts on<\/p>\n
him and therefore we are shaping our<\/p>\n
lives. So what does that mean to shape<\/p>\n
our lives around this kind of waiting?<\/p>\n
Wherever our hearts, wherever our minds<\/p>\n
go, that's where our actions will go.<\/p>\n
The the letters, the Thessalonian<\/p>\n
letters are really interesting. Every<\/p>\n
chapter actually has a reference to the<\/p>\n
coming of Christ, to the end, to the day<\/p>\n
of the Lord. And that's really important<\/p>\n
because Paul really believes that this<\/p>\n
day is kind of the it should frame all<\/p>\n
of our life, all of our activity. I'm<\/p>\n
not going to read this whole passage,<\/p>\n
but if you go to three chapter 3 and 4<\/p>\n
of uh of uh 1 Thessalonians,<\/p>\n
he kind of fleshes this out for us. He<\/p>\n
says,<\/p>\n
\"And may the Lord make you increase and<\/p>\n
abound in love for one another.\" That's<\/p>\n
one thing we can do. That's one way that<\/p>\n
we wait for the Lord. And as we do for<\/p>\n
you, I'm sorry, sorry, for one another<\/p>\n
and for all as we do for you. so that he<\/p>\n
may establish your hearts blameless in<\/p>\n
holiness before our God and father at<\/p>\n
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with<\/p>\n
all his saints. So love and holiness,<\/p>\n
love for one another and holiness.<\/p>\n
That's the way our lives should look in<\/p>\n
this waiting time. And he's praying<\/p>\n
basically that at the return of Christ,<\/p>\n
these Christians will be found loving<\/p>\n
one another and holy. And then in verse<\/p>\n
four, have you ever have you ever<\/p>\n
wondered what the will of God is for<\/p>\n
your life? and we overspiritualize that<\/p>\n
and we say should should I be does God<\/p>\n
will for me to marry this person or to<\/p>\n
be a missionary or to be a pastor or to<\/p>\n
be a social media influencer? No, that's<\/p>\n
not it. Um he his will for your life is<\/p>\n
this. In verse three it says, \"For the<\/p>\n
will of God is your sanctification.\"<\/p>\n
That is the whole will of God for your<\/p>\n
life that you would be sanctified. You<\/p>\n
would become more and more like him.<\/p>\n
God's will for you is that you would be<\/p>\n
more and more and more like him.<\/p>\n
The writers of scripture, Paul here is<\/p>\n
saying as you wait, align your lives,<\/p>\n
align your actions, align your ethics,<\/p>\n
align your allegiance<\/p>\n
to the kingdom. And then last,<\/p>\n
we live and work in the valley.<\/p>\n
So earlier I compared<\/p>\n
the big events of scripture to um to<\/p>\n
mountains. And so when we look at the<\/p>\n
Bible, the last mountain, the one that<\/p>\n
we're looking forward to is the coming,<\/p>\n
the coming of Christ, the appearing of<\/p>\n
Jesus.<\/p>\n
And the last mountain we saw was the<\/p>\n
come the first coming of Jesus. So that<\/p>\n
means we're right now in the valley.<\/p>\n
We're living today in a valley in<\/p>\n
between the mountains. And what do we do<\/p>\n
in the valley while we're here? How do<\/p>\n
we live in the valley as we're waiting<\/p>\n
for this mountain? As we're traveling<\/p>\n
towards this last mountaintop,<\/p>\n
well, Jesus gives us pretty clear<\/p>\n
instructions. First of all, he says in<\/p>\n
Matthew 24, \"And this gospel of the<\/p>\n
kingdom will be preached in the world as<\/p>\n
a testimony to all nations, and then the<\/p>\n
end will come.\"<\/p>\n
And then in Matthew 28, a very famous<\/p>\n
verse. If you're a missionary here, you<\/p>\n
probably have it memorized.<\/p>\n
Then Jesus came to them and said, \"All<\/p>\n
authority in heaven and on earth has<\/p>\n
been given to me. Therefore, go and make<\/p>\n
disciples of all nations, baptizing them<\/p>\n
in the name of the Father and the Son<\/p>\n
and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them<\/p>\n
to obey everything I have commanded you.<\/p>\n
And surely I am with you always to the<\/p>\n
very end of the age.\" So now we know<\/p>\n
where we are in the story. We're we're<\/p>\n
there in the valley. We're we're between<\/p>\n
these mountains, the first and second<\/p>\n
coming of Christ. We and many many<\/p>\n
millions of others are in this valley.<\/p>\n
And we have a job. Go therefore and<\/p>\n
teach.<\/p>\n
And there's this old word that we use in<\/p>\n
English sometimes. And you hear it when<\/p>\n
people start talking about the second<\/p>\n
coming, the the return of Christ. And<\/p>\n
it's, oh Lord, hasten the day. Hasten.<\/p>\n
You know, make it hurry up. Bring it<\/p>\n
fast.<\/p>\n
Do you want the kingdom to come? Do you<\/p>\n
want this day to arrive? Do you long for<\/p>\n
his appearing?<\/p>\n
Living and working in the valley like we<\/p>\n
just talked about here,<\/p>\n
telling people about him, inviting<\/p>\n
people to him, that is hastening that<\/p>\n
day.<\/p>\n
Every time you pray for someone you know<\/p>\n
who doesn't know Christ, every time you<\/p>\n
share the gospel, every time that you<\/p>\n
gather like this on a Sunday to sing and<\/p>\n
to praise and to pray, this is your<\/p>\n
spiritual sacrifice of worship and<\/p>\n
praise according to Hebrews. Every time<\/p>\n
you pray for one another, every time you<\/p>\n
invite your friends or your family to<\/p>\n
church or to hear the gospel, every time<\/p>\n
you serve one another and serve others<\/p>\n
in the name of Christ, you're hastening<\/p>\n
his return. you are demonstrating, you<\/p>\n
are working for<\/p>\n
his appearing.<\/p>\n
I mean, it it's true. It's just the way<\/p>\n
that God has he's using means. He's<\/p>\n
using us to bring about his return.<\/p>\n
It's going to happen. Christ the King<\/p>\n
will return and utterly destroy any<\/p>\n
person or power set up against him.<\/p>\n
If you are outside of Christ today, if<\/p>\n
you are trusting in anyone outside<\/p>\n
anything outside of him, if you are<\/p>\n
trusting in your own goodness, in your<\/p>\n
own decentness,<\/p>\n
turn to him and find mercy and<\/p>\n
salvation.<\/p>\n
And for those of us who are in him, who<\/p>\n
love him, let's set our hearts and our<\/p>\n
hope on him. Let's love his appearing.<\/p>\n
Let's long for his presence. Let's prove<\/p>\n
that we long for his appearing by living<\/p>\n
holy lives, by devoting ourselves to<\/p>\n
being together with his people and<\/p>\n
encouraging one another towards good<\/p>\n
works and towards kingdom ethics. And<\/p>\n
let's be a people who invite our friends<\/p>\n
and our family and our neighbors to<\/p>\n
enter into the kingdom. And let's pray<\/p>\n
the way people have prayed since Jesus<\/p>\n
left. Come Lord Jesus. Let's pray.<\/p>\n
Father, I thank you<\/p>\n
that this is not<\/p>\n
again this is not a fable or a fairy<\/p>\n
tale, but this is the reality that you<\/p>\n
are coming to deal with evil once and<\/p>\n
for all. You are coming to rescue your<\/p>\n
people once and for all. And you are<\/p>\n
coming to be with your people once and<\/p>\n
for all. Help this mountain as it were<\/p>\n
to shape our lives, to shape our actions<\/p>\n
and our decisions and our prayers. Let<\/p>\n
us look<\/p>\n
to you to look to this day when all will<\/p>\n
be put right and hope in that day and<\/p>\n
let it be the guiding landmark for our<\/p>\n
lives.<\/p>\n
Lord be with your people. Come Lord<\/p>\n
Jesus. Amen.<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20250805","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IpMzh4QN-ec","video_id":"IpMzh4QN-ec","video_duration":"40:12","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions\/149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}