For our Scripture reading tonight, turn with me to 2 Thessalonians 1, as we read together the verses 3 through 12. 2 Thessalonians 1, 3 through the end of the chapter. Hear now the reading of God's Holy Word, beginning at verse 3 of 2 Thessalonians 1. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches, we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. 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. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you because you believed our testimony to you. With this in mind, we constantly pray for you that our God may count you worthy of His calling and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn also to our confessional reference, the Heidelberg Catechism in the back of the Psalter Hymnal, page 26. Page 26. Lord's Day 19. We considered questions and answers 50 and 51 previously and now we consider question and answer 52 which is the last article of the Apostles' Creed dealing with our Lord Jesus Christ and His work. We confess what we believe with this answer. Question 52 asks, How does Christ return to judge the living and the dead? Comfort you. In all my distress and persecution, I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently await as judge the very one who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me. All his enemies and mine he will condemn to everlasting punishment. But me and all his chosen ones he will take along with him into the joy and the glory of heaven. Dear people of God, in recent weeks we have considered together that there is a very real present aspect to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is at work today on behalf of His people reigning and ruling over all things as He works to bring the church to completion. Yes, Christ's focus and the purpose of His work is for the glory of God as He prepares to present His bride without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless to His Father. And when will Christ present His bride to His Father? The Bible says after He has put all His enemies under His feet. Yes, when the last of the elect has been made an everlasting part of the church, the scaffolding of the world will be torn down and destroyed while the church in all of her God-given beauty with the foundation of Christ Himself will stand forever in the presence of the Father. Our Lord's present work, even the work He is doing at this very moment, will come to an end with the certainty of that future event which we call the judgment. That's the final step of our Savior's path of exaltation. And in that connection, we consider this Word of God tonight the comfort of Christ's coming. for judgment. That may sound strange, huh? The comfort of Christ's coming for judgment. God's Word speaks of the certainty of the judgment. We consider that, you recall, in connection with the prophecy of Joel and the call to prepare for the coming day of the Lord. This will be an event which will be inevitable. Boys and girls, that means it will happen. And it will be inescapable. That means everyone will be present. No one will be able to be absent. There are many who deny this truth of Christ's return for various reasons and therefore they have no interest in preparing for that day, but they live always and only for themselves. I believe in part it's due to becoming numb. You see, we live in a world of sin. We're surrounded by sin and wickedness all the time. Read the paper. Watch the news on TV. There's wickedness at every turn and sin. And God doesn't do anything about it. Not like in the Old Testament when once in a while, as we might say, He sends that bolt of lightning in various ways to punish the wicked. But today He doesn't do that. And therefore, I'm afraid many have become numb to the truth that Christ is coming again for judgment. Others live in fear of Christ's second coming. Because the thought of standing before the judgment seat of God to be examined and judged according to what we have done in this life is humbling, and rightly so. And there are those who refuse to believe in the final judgment because it is contrary to the idea that many have of God being a kindly old grandfather type who is gentle and winks at sin and easily embraces the sinner and his sin. He says, oh, it's not so bad. You come in too. That's okay. I'll overlook that. But even as those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as those who have confessed even tonight in the Apostles' Creed that we believe that He is coming again to judge the living and the dead, we must examine our attitudes about Christ's second coming. Is your desire, come quickly, Lord Jesus? Is that your daily prayer? Or is it more in line with, take your time, Lord. Stay away for a while. I'm having too much fun here. Beloved, when our Lord comes again, the Bible describes it will be an awesome event. It will be visible and triumphant with Christ coming back on the clouds of heaven, heralded by a trumpet, a shout, and the voice of the archangel, as 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us. this event will be a majestic wonder to behold as Christ will reveal or unveil His glory and power and His majesty for all to see. Revelation 20, verse 11 gives this description as John says, Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. Now for those who reject Christ, it will be a terrifying day, a horrible day as 2 Thessalonians 7 and 8. And this will happen. And this is talking about going back to verse 6. 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. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a terrifying, a dreadful day for them. But for believers. As verse 7 also says, it will be a day of relief. And as Paul adds in verse 10, on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. To be marveled at. To put it in our terms, all we will be able to say is, wow! Ah! How awesome! You see, on that day, Many will see what they never believed they would see, and that is Christ as King. They never believed it. No way would that happen. But Christians will see their hopes fulfilled as their faith becomes sight. The comfort for the child of God, of Christ coming for judgment, is that He will come in the first place with the divine right. Secondly, He will come for the necessary separation. And third, He will come unto a blessed homecoming. Question 52 asks again, How does Christ return to judge the living and the dead comfort you? Again, strange wording. We might not think of judgment as being comforting. But it is for God's people. And the answer summarizing the teaching of Scripture begins with these words of comfort. In all my distress and persecution, which is very real in this life. That's the point here. I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently await as judge the very one who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me. The older version of the catechism, I think, also says it's beautiful. Let me include that here. That in all my sorrows and persecutions, with uplifted head, I look for the very same person who before has offered himself for my sake to the tribunal of God and has removed all curse from me to come as judge from heaven. Our comfort, beloved, is that Jesus Christ will come again with the divine right. Now, what do we mean by that? Well, the one who is to judge all men, believers and unbelievers alike, is the one who has earned the right to be the judge because of who He is and because of what He has done. He has earned that right. It is rightfully His. In Lord's Day 9, this life is described as a sad world. Or again, as the older version says, a veil of tears. And here, that sad world, in this Lord's Day, that sad world, that veil, is said to be filled with distress and persecution. Filled with sorrow and turmoil. And we know that that is because of the sin of mankind. That sin which violated and terribly offended the holiness of God. That sin, which is going to make judgment day so terrible and so dreadful for those who will stand before the judgment seat of God with unrepented and unforgiven sin. We cannot imagine, praise God, we cannot imagine how terrible that will be. Yet, for God's people. Those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, it will be a comfort as they turn their eyes toward heaven with uplifted head, they see the very same One who stood in their place before the tribunal of God. The very same One who suffered the just wrath and punishment of God against their sin. The very same One who paid their full debt. The very same One who removed God's curse from them. In the midst of this world which is under the power of the Prince of Darkness, God's people are scorned and mocked because of Jesus Christ. Paul says, we are crushed. But then he adds, not destroyed. And that's why we may confess with uplifted head, with eyes turned toward heaven. We can watch in confidence with our eyes looking toward the heavens, the captain of the Lord's army coming in truth and equity what comfort beloved because the judge the one who is the judge is also the one who is our good shepherd and he knows his sheep he knows perfectly those for whom he died he knows those for whom he is coming again and he says of his sheep in John's Gospel I lose none of them no one can snatch them out of my hand this one who died for his people and was rejected by his enemies is the judge by divine right Jesus himself says in John 5 verse 22 that this right was given to him by God the Father he says for the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son and Paul echoes this in Acts 10 verse 42 he says and he speaking of Christ commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. All will stand before this judge one day. Every single one. No one will escape it. No one can buy their way out of it. The rich will stand before Him without their money. Rulers will stand before Him without their dignity and power. Kings will stand before Him without their crowns. Even the believing poor will stand before Him without their poverty. On that day, the books will be opened and the life of every person will be revealed. Again, horrible for some. But God's people will not stand there in fear, but filled with comfort as they are clothed with the riches of the grace of God for Jesus' sake. They will stand there clothed in the white robes of Christ's righteousness because He has taken their curse away. They will stand there confident of that completed work within them because all of their idle thoughts, words, and deeds, all of their sin have been atoned for by this very judge on Judgment Day when the books are opened, the sins and shortcomings of believers will be revealed as forgiven sins whose guilt has been totally covered in the sight of heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, looking at my sin and shame, I have everything to fear. But looking at Christ's finished work, I have nothing to fear. On that day, the righteousness of God will be seen in the rightness of His just judgment of salvation upon believers for Jesus' sake and the rightness of His just judgment of condemnation upon unbelievers for the sake of their own wickedness. Our comfort as believers congregation is that Jesus Christ, who was judged and condemned for us, Himself will sentence His people by divine right to that eternal reward which He earned. And God's Word also comforts us with the truth that He is coming in the second place for the necessary separation. The Catechism says, all His enemies and mine He will condemn to everlasting punishment. Now we speak a lot, especially when a loved one is on their deathbed or near death, we speak a lot about us going to be with Jesus one day and leaving this world behind. But we don't speak near as much about Jesus coming back again to be with us. The Christian's desire is or must be to be free from sin and the effects of sin in this world. And that's why this truth of Christ coming again is a key component of the Gospel of the good news of salvation. While many fear that day, again, the believer may enjoy comfort and joy in the prospect of judgment. The judgment is to be an encouragement to Him. In 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul speaks of Christ coming in judgment in order to encourage the church in the midst of present sufferings and distress which they had been going through. He says in verse 4, Therefore, among God's churches, we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. And then in the very next verse, we read that the church is suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God. But Paul goes on to encourage them with the announcement of the fact that the end of their suffering is coming. Notice again verses 6-8. 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. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, we know it's true that the world would like nothing better just as their ruler to destroy the church of Jesus Christ. And the world is out to torment you and I, to cause us to suffer, to persecute us. And here the very Word of God says they will get what they have coming. Now, there are two responses we can make to this. On the one hand, we can say, yes, all right. I don't have to worry about it. They're going to be damned forever. But that would not be the right response. That wouldn't be the proper response. Indeed, beloved, it's our comfort that the wicked will receive their just judgment. But in this life, until that day arrives, we don't know those whom God has elected to salvation. They might be some of the very same ones who persecute us today. And our response is to be that we desire salvation for the wicked. That we pray for them. That we desire, as Calvin said, I believe quoting Augustine, that we desire the salvation of everyone with whom we come in contact. That is to be our response. That the wicked would understand their sin, that they would turn from their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have the very same comfort as you and I because how can we sit here to think about without a conscience of what they will suffer one day. It's beyond our comprehension. We are to pray for them. Yet indeed it is to our comfort that in the end, the church who suffered at the hands of the wicked, that the wicked will get what they truly deserve. The coming of Jesus Christ will mark the end of, the end of or the conclusion of the church's present suffering. It will mean the end forever. It will mark the end of the painful struggle with the remaining power of sin and darkness. It will be the end, not because it is the end of the church, you see, but because it will be the end of her enemies. And this will then usher in the long-awaited eternal Sabbath rest for God's people. Beloved, this will be the last decisive step in the Savior's saving work on behalf of His people. And then he will say, once again, one last time, to be forever, it is finished. It is finished. We cannot overlook the fact that at that time our enemies will be fierce. Satan will be released completely for a short time. It will be a terrible time for Christians in which their faith will be tested as with fire. But our comfort is that when persecution and affliction reach their worst, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ intervenes. Why? because these are His enemies too. In fact, they are His enemies first. The Catechism, I believe, puts the order very correct when it says, all His enemies and Mine, He will condemn to everlasting punishment. His enemies and Mine. Again, the older version of the Catechism says, He will cast them away. He will throw them away. As many of us considered in adult Sunday school this morning, The chaff, it's light, without substance, without worth, it's garbage. You see, the catechism doesn't say, He shall condemn all my and His enemies into everlasting punishment. Because it is not necessarily true in this life that all my enemies are His enemies. It's the way it ought to be, but it's not necessarily true in this life. In my sin, I might consider one an enemy who is a child of God. Who is a sheep in the fold of the Good Shepherd like I am. And that one is certainly not an enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth is that all of Christ's enemies are and are to be the enemies of His people. We're talking about the enemies of the cross of Christ. We are not to be making friends with the enemies of the cross. Because they are our enemies. Satan, his hosts, and all who despise Christ's suffering and shame, and who reject His saving sacrifice, are enemies of God and His people. They are those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And His coming signifies the end of them, as well as the end of the sorrows and the persecution of the church. Christ's coming again in judgment is a signal of that necessary separation. We talk a lot about church growth movement. That's been a hot topic of debate. maybe over the last 10, 15, 20 years, and those deeply involved in the church growth movement would tell you and me straight out that preaching this kind of message, telling people that if they do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice alone for salvation, that they will go to hell forever, preaching this is not the way to grow the church. That's no way to win friends and influence enemies. But not to tell this truth is to deceive because the only way that God grows His church is when His elect by His grace come to a knowledge of their sin and misery through His Word learn of the only Savior and receive His forgiveness for repented sin by grace through faith and desire to live lives of thankfulness in fellowship with God's people that's what Eric did tonight here that's his profession he says i want to stand up for christ before my friends before my classmates in the midst of my brothers and sisters in christ lord i give my life to you i want to live for you test me search me you see it's not our purpose to scare people into heaven with the talk of eternal condemnation in hell as if we could do that anyway we can't scare people into heaven we can't scare people out of hell but God calls us to preach the truth of our sin and about his forgiveness full and free through the glory of his son what a precious message we have the most awesome message you see beloved Christ's enemies will be destroyed and he who is not for Christ is against Christ only those who did not belong to Christ's enemies even secretly can approach that day with their eyes turned toward heaven looking expectantly expectantly for their savior redeemer and friend who is coming to judge and his judgment shall be right as we sang earlier christ the judge is coming for the necessary separation to deliver his people from his enemies but also to deliver them unto a blessed homecoming in the third place the enemies of christ and his church will receive their just reward. Everlasting punishment. But the church of Jesus Christ will receive her gracious reward. The catechism says, but me and all His chosen ones He will take along with Him into the joy and the glory of heaven. Do you see how personal this is again? The catechism. But me. It's for me too. And all of His chosen ones. Notice the grace there. As a believer, I am a chosen one. I am chosen not because I chose to be chosen. I am chosen by God not because of my worth or my work or any merit of mine. Not because I deserve it. Because I and you together, we deserve what Christ's and our enemies get. That's what we deserve. But by the grace of God, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will receive the fulfillment of that which Peter calls the living hope. That blessed homecoming is when those who walked this earth and lived this life as pilgrims in a foreign land will receive that inheritance as Peter describes it so wonderfully, incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Another word for reserve is kept, guarded, protected in heaven for you and me. This is the relief that Paul speaks of in verse 7. This is what will take place when our resurrected and glorified bodies are rejoined with our perfected souls and we are ushered through the door of our eternal home prepared by Christ Himself. Then the believer's pilgrimage will be over as He has been brought to His final destination. Beloved, this is something that the church and you and me as believers, that we are to anticipate and to look forward to with great eagerness and joy By praying, indeed, come quickly, Lord Jesus. The believer must anxiously look forward to Christ coming again. Boys and girls, we must look forward to Jesus' return more than the last day of school. I know that's on your mind, because for many of you, that's coming this week. We must look forward to His return more than the last day of school. More than a big vacation. More than your next birthday or more than the most exciting event that could ever take place in this life because there is nothing more glorious and more wonderful than when Jesus Christ comes again to take His people home. Believers must live for this day because we have no reason to fear. Why? Because we will stand before Him in the confidence of the forgiving grace of God for Jesus' sake. That day will be the beginning of the eternal marriage feast of the Lamb and His bride as the one who began a good work in His people will have faithfully completed it as He promised. When Jesus Christ the Judge comes again, sitting on His heavenly throne of clouds, His church will behold Him in all His glory. And as Paul says in verse 10 once again, He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. marveled at. His coming, beloved, will be a wonder to behold. This will be Christ's future final work on behalf of His church. But that day is not yet here. It could be tomorrow. But it is not yet today, at least not at this hour. It could be tonight. But that means that today is still the day of God's grace. That means that God's promise is still sure that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved because there is forgiveness with God that he might be feared. That promise is still good right now for anyone who has not yet turned to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. Turn to Him. And you will not fear in the judgment. During His trial, during Christ's trial, Do you remember that Pilate dressed Jesus up as a king and said, Behold the man, your king, O Jews. What mockery for our Lord. But one day when he causes our faith to become sight, every eye will behold the king in all of his splendor and those who mocked him along with every knee will bow before him. Beloved, may God bless us along with the saints of all ages with a longing expectation and desire for our Lord's return. When He appears, although His enemies will cry out for the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and cover them over, His people will be comforted with His presence. And in the power of His Spirit will testify and confess these words. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. and He will reign forever and ever. Amen. Shall we pray? Oh, Heavenly Father, we pray that You would work in our hearts powerfully, that we would anxiously look forward to that day. That even as we sing, O Lord, haste the day when our faith becomes sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll. The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend. Even so, it is well with my soul. Father, we thank You for the comfort that we as Your people may have in this truth that when Jesus Christ comes again, we do not stand opposite of Him, but He stands with us. He stands for us. He says, Your sins are forgiven. enter into the joy of your rest. Father God, our prayer has come quickly, Lord Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen.