Sermons

Dear Friends as you eagerly look forward to the final coming of our Savior, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. You Can Be Sure About Judgment Day I. You can be sure that it will come II. You can be sure that unbelief will be punished III. You can be sure that those with true faith will be saved INTRODUCTION For just a moment I would like you to think back several years our nation’s presidential election – there was a definite air of uncertainty. Remember how the morning after the election we still had no idea who our next president was. Instead there was talk about hanging chads and supposedly lost or doubly counted ballots. Still today as we look at the economy, the job market and world politics, there is an air of uncertainty. But there are certain things which God does not want us to have an attitude of uncertainty about. One of those is Judgment Day. There have been many so called “predictions” about Judgment Day – some even from people who claim to have gotten them from the Bible. Such instances often cause people to wonder “How can I be sure?” “When will it be?” “What will happen?” While God may not tell us everything, there are several things he tells us very clearly and wants us to know: You Can Be Sure About Judgment Day I. You can be sure it will come II. You can be sure that unbelief will be punished III. You can be sure that those with true faith will be saved I. You can be sure that it will come Judgment Day is one of those events that is often grouped with going to the dentist and other unpleasant occasions - we hope they never come - because of the seeming uncertainty many people wish that Judgment Day would never come For those who think that way, Malachi has a message from God’s Word. He says twice in our text "the day is coming". No maybes or questions – it is sure and certain. Malachi agrees with the rest of Scripture which tells us that Judgment Day is a sure and certain future event. In our Gospel lesson (John 5:19-24), Jesus tells us that he and his heavenly Father work together on any number of matters regarding our salvation. But elsewhere in the Gospels he tells us "no one knows the day or hour - not even the Son of man”. While Judgment Day is coming, not even Jesus, the Son of God, knows when. Elsewhere in the Gospels we are told that "it will come like a thief in the night". Unexpectedly, when we least anticipate it, Judgment Day will come. The message of Malachi and the rest of Scripture then is “be ready”! But Malachi also gives us another reason to be ready “every evildoer will be stubble”. II. You can be sure that unbelief will be punished Not only does Malachi tell us that Judgment Day is certain, he also tells us that there is sure and certain punishment for those who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior. This stands in stark contrast to a false teaching which is often advanced in our world today. It is known as "universalism". Universalism says that a God who is so loving and caring would certainly never punish or condemn someone. Those who follow that teaching will unfortunately hear the most horrible words any human being could ever hear “depart from me”. They and all who have rejected Jesus as their Savior will hear God tell them that they are going to be separated from him forever. In John 5:4 Jesus reminds us of that as he says about those people "you refuse to come to me". We must also remember that this is not just a brief punishment or a punishment which is not that bad. It is eternal and horrible. Malachi and the rest of Scripture speak of "the fires of hell. What exactly this means, we do not know. All we do know is that those who do not have faith in Jesus as their Savior will face these fires forever. III. You can be sure that those with true faith will be saved In contrast to the horrible judgment and punishment which unbelievers can be sure of, Malachi gives great words of comfort and hope. He says “to you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings”. He uses the word picture of "the sun of righteousness" to describe Jesus. Just like our second lesson (Hebrews 9:24-28) reminded us that it is the blood of Jesus alone which gives us the hope of heaven. Then Malachi goes on to say that Jesus will come "with healing in his wings". All the troubles of sin will be ended - all the pain and sorrow gone. Our faith in Jesus gives us the certainty that we will survive on Judgment Day and be given the eternal healing, comfort and joy of heaven. Our worship next weekend when we celebrate Saints Triumphant will allow us to see this joy and comfort in all of its beauty. CONCLUSION: ILLUSTRATION We are all much more aware of the sinking of the Titanic due to the recent movie, but that event can also help us understand about Judgment Day. That event came very suddenly, even unexpectedly and many were lost. There were two big signs placed on the two front doors of the steamship company -THOSE SAVED THOSE LOST - there was no middle ground. Malachi reminds us that Judgment Day will be the very same way. We can be sure that it will come and there will be those who are lost because of unbelief. But even more we can be certain that Judgment will bring to us the healing, joy and peace of our eternal salvation and we can rejoice in that! Amen.