Righteous Judgement

Let's look at scripture, how about that? We are in installment number two of probably what will be five or six in this book, 2 Thessalonians.

Some of you are like, what happened to the first one? And I answer like, where were you in 2016? Because we, nine years ago, preached through 1 Thessalonians, and I never got to the second book.

And actually that proved to be true with, I think, every book series we may do this year. It's going to be a second. So we're in 2 Thessalonians, and if you missed last Sunday or didn't get a chance to catch up on the live stream,

don't worry, we'll recap real quickly, and we're actually going to read the whole passage today, the whole chapter, which is only about 12 verses.

But last week we got introduced, didn't we, introductions to the Thessalonian church, and we learned about some of their circumstances. What we learned is that it's a baby church at this point where Paul writes to them.

It's not a baby church anymore. It's 2,000 years old. We have a missionary in Thessaloniki, actually, that we support as a church. But this Greek city of Thessalonica was paid a visit by the Apostle Paul on a three-week, right?

Three-week short-term missions trip. That's what it turned out to be. And the reason it was a short-term three-week trip is because no sooner did the Apostle Paul and Silas and Timothy make their visit here, and they got run out of town by persecution.

Things heated up very, very fast. And the Apostles had to flee for their lives when a mob stormed the house of the greatest believer who has ever lived in Acts 17 by the name of Jason.

I love it when I get to preach a passage that has my name. But anyway, there it is. Maybe not the greatest believer, but he was faithful. And he apparently smuggled the Apostles out.

They did not get arrested. And Jason faced the heat himself. But the church, the reason that the Thessalonian authorities didn't like these Christians, it really was a couple of things.

First, you had the Jews. The Jews in Thessalonica, of course, hated Christians because they hated their Christ. They rejected the Messiah, did not accept Jesus as the Messiah.

And they were especially bothered by statements like, the only name under heaven given to men to be saved by is Jesus. And that's exactly what the Apostles were running around, city by city, preaching and teaching everybody, starting with the Jews.

So the Jews didn't want anything to do with the believers, the Christians. And as for the secular Greeks, the Gentiles, Well, these Thessalonians, their city, we talked about this last week, they enjoyed a very privileged status.

They were a free city in the Roman Empire. Now, that doesn't mean that they were actually free. They were still under the empire and imperial rule.

But they didn't feel it. They enjoyed a tax-free status. They enjoyed the privilege of not having any Roman soldiers stationed there. And the reason, one of the biggest reasons why, and the thing that they wanted to continue doing really well, was upholding the imperial emperor cult.

The emperor cult. This is a religion, you could say, where the emperor said, I am lord and king. Where the emperor actually believed he was a god.

And the proper way for favored cities like Thessalonica to show their fealty to the Romans was to have a robust emperor cult, to sponsor the emperor cult, which they did.

They had a temple. They had their own designated priesthood in Thessalonica. And so with the new Christians now coming into town and multiplying, they worried that this could really mess things up.

Because the Christians said that there's only one lord and king, and his name is Jesus. So very quickly, things get tough for the church, the apostles have to flee, and the church is facing persecution.

And we talked about what that must have been like, not just from like the city officials, but also from your associates in town that you work with, from your friends and your neighbors.

A lot of heat was put on this baby church. Paul had to run after only three weeks, and quite frankly, he wanted to come back. He wanted to come back, but he talks about this in his first letter.

He was prevented by Satan. He couldn't. And so he sent Timothy in his stead to find out how they were doing, to find out how this church was holding up.

And he learned, as the first letter tells us, that they were actually doing quite well. And he commended them for it. And he wrote five chapters worth of a letter to them, trying to further ground them in their faith.

But as news has come to him recently yet again, Paul finds himself now prompted by the Holy Spirit to write them a second letter, the one we have open in front of us.

So let's take a look and follow along with me as I back up and begin reading in verse 1, and we'll read through the end of the chapter. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering, since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you

and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, to be marveled at among all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed.

To this end, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power 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. Let's pray once again, shall we? Father, open your word to us now.

Teach us, show us, Lord, not only what you had for a baby church 2,000 years ago but for all of our churches everywhere, for all of our lives.

And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So Paul starts out. He says it's right to give thanks to God. He even says more than that, we're obligated to do this because I hear about how your faith is growing abundantly, verse 3,

and I see that your abundant faith is also manifesting in more and more love. Your love is increasing for each other. And I am so impressed, Paul goes on to tell this church, that although you guys may feel pretty low about yourselves, although everybody might be running around Thessalonica

telling you how terrible you are, I, Paul, want you to know that I actually brag about you. That's what he says in verse 4. Yeah, we boast about you to all the other churches of God.

We boast about the work God is doing in you to enable you to be steadfast, to help you keep the faith and all of these afflictions and persecutions that you've had to endure.

And now Paul comes to the place where, well, there's no other way to say it. He really gets kind of theological, doesn't he? What I mean is that starting here in verse 5, Paul begins to make a series of theological statements.

These are doctrinal pronouncements that he makes about what's true, about what's happening to them and why, and about what is to come in the future.

Some of you like eschatology. Well, you get a little bit of it today. These are statements that touch on suffering and persecution that this church is experiencing.

These are statements that touch on justice and on eternity and the role that Jesus plays in all of it. And so what I think I might do today, if you'll let me, is simply lay these statements out for you.

I'm not asking. I already have them on the screen and everything, so you're going to get them. But I think this could be helpful if you would let me sort of theologically paraphrase Paul.

I can't do much better than the apostles done. So you're going to find that these statements, there are five of them, five truths. They parallel a lot of what we just read here in Scripture.

There's nothing innovative here. But let me share these with you, these statements, because again, they are not just for an ancient church. They are for us.

They are for every church. Let's begin with this one. The first statement is this, truth number one. Truth number one is that the believer's affliction is evidence of kingdom worthiness.

Evidence of kingdom worthiness. The believer, if someone is a Christian, and they experience affliction and trial because of the fact that they're a believer, Paul is saying this is evidence of kingdom worthiness.

Evidence. Evidence that someone's been counted worthy, considered worthy of the kingdom. Now I want you to understand this is not just any old generic suffering that we might experience in our lives.

You know, you get the flu. You know, you have a car battery die and you're stranded, whatever it is. Those are trials of one kind or another.

And they can be tough, and they can and should be circumstances where we build our faith and learn perseverance and learn to trust God. Yeah.

But what Paul is talking about right here, I want you to understand, is a very specific kind of suffering. He's talking about trials put upon believers because of their faith.

The same kind of thing he talks about over in another letter in Philippians. Here's what he says in Philippians 1, verse 28. He talks about not being frightened and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

Philippians 1:28

This, that you're not frightened, is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. Opponents, those who would attack the faith, those who would challenge you for being a Christian.

Paul says that when you are not frightened by that, when you're not intimidated by that, when you don't back down to that, to your commitment to the truth of the Christian faith, he says that's a clear sign of two very big theological realities, two eternal realities.

The first, that you, as a Christian, are saved. And secondly, that sadly, whoever's persecuting you is not saved and thus is destined for destruction.

Now this might sound strange to hear Paul talking like this. Why is it we might wonder that suffering uniquely for being a Christian in some way, why is this such clear evidence that we're worthy of the kingdom?

And there's an answer to that. And the answer to that lies in Jesus. Because we become like Jesus when we suffer in this way. In fact, the apostle Peter, in his letter, tells us that fiery trials that we undergo because of our faith, they actually allow us to, quote,

share in Christ's sufferings. Share in his sufferings. That's 1 Peter 4, 12. This means that we identify with Christ when we suffer like this.

Because we know that Jesus went through suffering. Beginning early in his ministry, that opposition, people trying to push him off a cliff, rejecting him, that was suffering.

And of course, it culminated on the cross, didn't it? When he was crucified. And Jesus himself told us that if the world hated him, it's going to hate us.

If it persecuted him, it's going to persecute you if you're a Christian. If he was reviled, and all manner of wicked things and false things were said about him, you should probably expect the same thing too.

All this is evidence, Paul writes. Evidence that you, like your Savior, are faithfully enduring in your persecutions and affliction. Verse 3, by which you are considered worthy of the kingdom.

You know, I talk to a lot of believers, I talk to a lot of people, and one thing I've heard over the years are many of you struggle with doubts.

Doubts. Doubts can be something that even a strong Christian might struggle with. Having assurance in our faith, assurance of our salvation, sometimes can be a little bit elusive.

Sometimes our doubts come, and I want you to hear that they're not necessarily evil or sinful. Many Christians wrestle through them. I would say this, I would point this out.

Go and find yourself a persecuted Christian somewhere. Maybe you can find one here in our country, probably true, but certainly outside of our nation's borders.

Go to a part of the world where there is intense persecution on Christians. Show me a person who has lost something for their faith. Show me a person who's maybe lost someone because of the Christian faith.

Show me a believer in prison, and you will find a person of great assurance. You will not find people who struggle with doubts because they have what Paul's talking about.

They have the evidence that God's righteous judgment has been passed, and they get the privilege of being aligned with their Savior. This is why Paul tells another group of early believers this over in Acts chapter 14.

Acts 14 · chapter mention

Acts 14, verse 21. We read that the apostles returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in their faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Acts 14:21

Another translation says we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. I want you to think about the people that Paul's talking to.

There's three different cities mentioned, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, but the people from Lystra who are listening to Paul say this, you know, he's coming back through these cities, and the last time Paul was in Lystra, he died, literally.

He was murdered, executed by stoning, and these believers from Lystra watched as he somehow miraculously got up, and now he's come back and said, you know, we've got to go through some hard things.

We're going to have to have some persecution. Can you imagine the looks on their faces? So this is Paul's first theological proof, truth, that the believer's affliction is proof, is evidence, of their kingdom worthiness.

That's the first one. Here's the second one, number two. I hope I didn't lose you. Number two. This one's simple. It's real catchy. I came up with this.

Okay. God's justice someday, someday, is the believer's relief today. God's justice someday, is the believer's relief today. We read in verses six and seven, since indeed, God considers it just

to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted, as well as to us.

Paul's saying the fact that God will someday grant relief to you who are afflicted, as well as to us. Notice he slips himself and his companions in there too.

He's saying the fact that God promises you that you will experience relief in the future when he comes, verse 10, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints.

What he's saying is the fact of the second coming, the fact that it is coming, and it's a very real thing that you and I should be expecting and looking forward to, this should grant us relief right now.

This should grant us relief today, even in the midst of your suffering. Listen guys, again, Paul knew what he was talking about. This is a man who very much walked his talk.

And the reason that we can say this so confidently is because of what we see him doing, not just in Acts 14, but two chapters later in Acts 16, in a jail cell in Philippi.

Maybe you've heard the story. There he and Silas were in this jail cell at about midnight. They'd been beaten, bloodied by a mob before being chained up in the stocks of a jail cell.

I don't think you sleep well with stocks on. And what are they doing in that jail cell? Are they moaning because of their pain? Are they whining about, this is terrible, this isn't right?

Are they crying? Are they issuing threats back to their persecutors? Hey there, jailer, you better let us out. You know, something could happen.

It could be an earthquake. No, they aren't doing any of that. This is what they're doing. Acts chapter 16, verse 25. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying, praying, and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:25

You know, I don't know if they were good singers or not. I don't know about you, but you know, if you're all singing with me, I like to sing out.

But if it's just like me and another guy, if it's like me and Matt, Matt's a good singer, I'm not. I'm not going to sing out. And here these two apostles are, singing out.

And it's so mesmerizing to the rest of the Philippian jailhouse that all the other prisoners are just listening to them.

Listen, the reason Paul and Silas could do this, sing for joy in the midst of their suffering, is because of this theological truth. because they knew that God's justice someday was their relief today.

God judges justly. They knew this. And they knew that he is a reverser of fortunes, which is good for his people and is not so good for those persecuting them.

And Paul wants to give these struggling Christians at Thessalonica an eschatological perspective, a perspective beyond the present and beyond what is seen.

A perspective on what's up ahead on the unseen world and on what an omnipotent and completely faithful God promises he will do and will in fact do.

He will reverse fortunes. Sufferers now will get relief. God will, as scholar Greg Beal says, God will declare his saints are right and the world is wrong.

This is a wonderful truth for those of us who are believers because it's a promise and it's a truth that stands through the centuries and that will always stand until the day that we see him on the clouds and Jesus comes again.

And speaking of Jesus, there's another theological truth about him and we might as well shoehorn it in here right now. Now's as good a place as any.

And that third theological truth, number three, is this. Jesus is our only Savior but he's not only a Savior. He's also a judge. He's our only Savior but he's not only a Savior.

He's also a judge. Remember that part we read about him being revealed from heaven? How he's going to come and repay the persecutors? Let me read that again.

Verse 6. Verse 6. Since indeed, since, this is most definitely true, since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.

A little later in verse 7. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. And what is he going to do when he's revealed?

Verse 8. Inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. So, Jesus at his second coming he comes to save, right?

Yeah, he does. He saves the believers. But that's not the only thing he comes to do, is it? He also, he also comes as a judge. A judge who will administer deserved punishment.

You know, oftentimes people like aspects of Christianity. You probably know people who, you know, are not necessarily believers, you know, but they, they like things about Christians.

They like certain themes, certain moments in the Bible. They like certain stories, they're inspirational. And they like, really, you could say, a particular portrait of Jesus, right?

It's the Jesus with the long flowing hippie hair, right? 1970s Jesus. I think they're doing a show about him right now. I haven't seen any episodes.

Don't tell me I have to watch it. It'll ruin the gospels for me, so I'm not going to watch it. But if you do, that's fine. But there's these portraits of Jesus, and some of them are like the, you know, God so loves the world, Jesus, you know that one?

Or the peace-loving Jesus, or the, this is a really popular one, the do not judge Jesus, you know Jesus, do not judge. Didn't he say that? Well, yeah, he did.

He went on to say other things too. There's the Jesus that welcomes the little children, I mean, who doesn't like that one, right? Bouncing the babies, you know, shooing the disciples away instead of the kids.

The Jesus who elevates the lowly, the humble and lowly Jesus, and these are all true. These are all portraits in scripture. But there's another portrait in scripture, and the one I want to focus on for just a moment is the one where it's a Jesus who judges.

It's there. Acts chapter 10, verse 42. And he, Jesus, commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

Acts 10:42

Acts 17, verse 31. He has fixed a day on which he, this is Jesus, Jesus will judge the world in righteousness. He is the man whom God has appointed, and of this God has given assurance to all by raising him, Jesus, from the dead.

Acts 17:31

And then later in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, Paul says it very simply, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10

Jesus is also a judge. The book of Revelation reveals, if nothing else, this portrait of Jesus. And it's a very vivid portrait. I'm just going to read a substantial section of Revelation 19.

Revelation 19, verse 11 through 16, John writes, Then I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. The one sitting on it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

Revelation 19:11–16

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the word of God.

And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Wow, that's some pretty powerful imagery. And people sometimes say, well, you know, that's apocalyptic literature, that's a lot of imagery. But I don't think we can escape the fact that he's coming as a judge.

Jesus is our only Savior, but he's not only that. He's not only a Savior. He's also a judge, a judge who will reward and punish. And some of us, those of us who have Jesus, who know Jesus, we will marvel at his coming if we're still alive when it happens.

Verse 10 says that when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, he will be marveled at among those who have believed. Believers are going to rejoice at his awesome coming in power and in flaming fire when he comes on those clouds.

What a sight that will be. But not everyone will marvel for joy, will they? Because this is a judge who doesn't dish out only reward. He also punishes.

And it's this other thing, punishment, that is the theme of our fourth theological truth. Truth number four is this, the unbeliever who doesn't obey the gospel will suffer eternal punishment.

The unbeliever who doesn't obey the gospel will suffer eternal punishment. It's worth noting that in our passage, Paul makes no less than three different statements, three different statements about what will happen to the unbeliever.

In verse 6, he says, Jesus will justly repay with affliction those who afflict you. Then in verse 8, he says that, Jesus will inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel.

Not knowing God and failing to obey him, of course, they're linked. And then down in verse 9, he says that, the unbeliever will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.

we probably don't like talking about everlasting punishment, the doctrine of hell, but it's real and it's very much a part of the biblical vision for what is coming when Christ returns.

And for you and I, listen, our discomfort with the doctrine of hell, our distaste for it doesn't change it. besides, the vengeance of the Lord, and honestly, there's probably a better translation.

It should probably be judgment. We hear the word vengeance and we can't think of any other kind than human vengeance and that's always tainted, isn't it, by our sin.

But God's is not. It's pure. It's holy. It's perfect judgment. It's pure justice. Jesus will not come in some kind of vigilante rage. He is a perfectly just and good judge.

In verse 9, Paul even describes the punishment of eternal destruction. It's interesting, he uses different words than what Jesus uses in the Gospels.

Jesus uses words like darkness and hellfire and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Here, Paul simply describes it as a place away from the presence of the Lord and His glory.

You ask, what's hell going to be like? I can tell you it's going to be final. It's going to be irreversible. I can tell you it's going to be miserable because there will be no holy presence there at all to restrain, to hold back the full expression

of evil. Many scholars talk about how an existence in hell will be like an inverse parallel to our heavenly existence. An inverse parallel. What I mean is that as the believer's mortal body, you and I, our mortal bodies, are going to undergo a resurrection

and a transformation into the glorified and perfect state we are meant to have for eternity. insofar as we undergo that, for the unbeliever, the opposite happens.

Theologian John Stott says that their humanity will, quote, shrink and shrivel. I don't know if you're a Lord of the Rings fan, but honestly, this one helps.

I often think of the character of Gollum. The character of Gollum was corrupted by the ring, the evil ring of power that he so coveted. And for the time, the hundreds of years that Gollum had the ring in his possession, it literally corrupted not just his heart,

but his very flesh, so that he was barely recognizable as a creature. No one quite knew what he was. Tolkien says that he was once a type of hobbit.

Left to his craving, left with that evil ring, he became less than what he was. Will the same be true of people in hell for eternity?

But Paul also reminds us that the punishment is just, that the unbeliever receives this punishment for failing to obey the gospel, for failing to come to a knowledge of God, which is always linked with obedience in Scripture.

That's why Paul says it's accepting the gospel, it's also obeying the gospel. Because when we submit to the gospel and receive that offer of salvation, we get with it a call to obedience, to submit to the lordship of Christ.

And I want you to understand, and listen, Paul is not gleeful about this truth. He writes this, but I'm sure it burdened him. It motivated him.

Why do you think he died a missionary? Why do you think he endured all the terrible things physically he endured, including eventually his own martyrdom?

He died for the cause of obeying God's calling on his life. He suffered for Jesus' name in order to bring this good news, to bring this gospel all across the Mediterranean world, which is what God called him to do.

So our fourth theological truth that Paul wants this young church to be fully aware of, wants us to be fully aware of, is that the unbeliever will suffer eternal punishment.

But he doesn't end on this note, does he? No, instead, he closes out our first chapter on a note of prayer. And here's where we find our fifth and final theological truth.

Truth number five is this. Every believer is counted worthy, counted worthy by grace, even while they're being made worthy, made worthy by his power.

Every believer is counted worthy by grace, even while they are being made worthy by his power. Yes, Paul says, be reassured about God's presence with you and God's work in you and God's justice that is coming on your behalf,

dear Thessalonians. Reward and punishment are real, they're coming. Be assured that your sufferings are evidence that you've been considered, you've been counted worthy of the kingdom.

What he means is that in Christ you are seen as perfect. You are counted as perfect, though of course you're not. You get his merits. We sang that song, All Sufficient Merit, Now My Own.

I mean, sometimes I slip when I'm singing it and I sing All Sufficient Merit, Not My Own. And that's true too, it's not. But it is now if you're in Christ.

Now My Own.

But of course, while that's true and it's true that we're not perfect, we know that we are counted completely worthy, still, still, the Lord is very interested in doing work in us progressively, isn't He?

Progressively making us more worthy so that the judicial standing that is declared about us is actually being proven true. Verse 11, He says, to this end, verse 11, to this end, with all this in mind, I've just written to you, we always pray for you.

We always pray for you. Don't ever discount those words when somebody says that. And don't throw those words around if you don't mean it. Right?

I'm praying for you. Those are powerful words. This is an apostle. To this end, we always pray for you guys. And here's what we pray for. Paul says, that our God may make you worthy of His calling.

So up above, He already said, you're considered fully worthy because of Christ. And I'm praying that the progressive work continues and goes on.

That He will make you, you could even put a present tense on it, that He will be making you worthy of His calling by fulfilling every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power.

His transforming power to make you that new creation, to enliven you so that you don't continue to walk dead in your trespasses and sins in the way that you used to walk like Paul says in Ephesians.

This was actually a theme that Paul carried over here in the second letter. He carried it over from the first letter. First Thessalonians. Back in First Thessalonians, this is what he said to them in chapter 2, verse 11.

He says, For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

The walk, right? The worthy walk. Day by day. It means believers take every good resolve. Don't you have a lot of good resolves? We call them good intentions.

Do you get up every day and have like, maybe you have bad intentions, I don't know, but I hope you have good intentions. I do. I get out of bed every day and I have good intentions.

They don't always come to fruition, but I have good intentions and Paul is praying that God would take every good resolve that you have, guys, every good intention and purpose that He's instilled in you and work it out by faith.

Walk it out by faith in your deeds, in your actions, in external manifestations, external manifestations of inward godly desires.

And it also means that when we fail, and we will, we confess and we seek and receive forgiveness again and again each and every time we stumble and fail to produce.

and we all stumble. Paul wants this young Thessalonian church, verse 12, to do this. Here's why. So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you so that you will shine.

So that you will shine and represent your Lord and Savior well and that one day, get this, you may be glorified in Him. He's talking about that moment when He returns.

When Jesus returns and all of His people, whether in the ground somewhere or still living, are transformed, are freed of indwelling sin and enabled to be freed of every evil impulse and urge from the sin that right now

still crouches at our door. That will be a great moment, won't it? The second coming of Jesus.

Let me ask you to bow your heads with me as the team comes. They're going to lead us in another song.

Lord, sometimes we don't long for Your second coming enough. Forgive us for that, Lord, for planning our lives, for planning our days, our weeks, our next weekend with strictly earthly purposes, earthly intentions in mind.

Lord, for those of us who know You today, give us assurance. Lord, I don't know what's coming. I don't know what people even here in this room have faced for their faith.

But we know who is in control, we know who's in charge, and we know that any of this affliction that might come our way is just evidence of the truth that we are countered, we are considered worthy because of Jesus, His righteousness, His merit, not my own, but now my own.

Thank You so much, Jesus.

And Lord, many of us here today are burdened for those that don't know You, who are still far from the gospel, who are not walking in obedience to You.

and we hear these words, Lord, about flaming fire, mighty angels, and judgment, and vengeance, and eternal punishment, and our hearts are burdened and rightly so.

I don't know where You've called everybody, Lord, but You have called us somewhere. So if we're here this morning as believers, we know, Lord, that each and every one of us have a circle, a realm, a calling to be that light, to shine for Jesus, to speak truth when circumstances permit,

and maybe when we just need to speak the truth anyway. So Lord, we pray for Your courage, we pray for Your grace, we pray for Your boldness, but we also pray for that love that we need.

And Lord, finally, for any of us here today who are saying to ourselves, I don't, I'm not a follower of Jesus, He's not my Savior. Lord, may the words of Your text of Scripture speak powerfully because there is still time.

While we breathe, there is still time. Until we see You on the clouds of the sky, there is still time. And we pray all of this in the name of coming King Jesus.

Amen.