Judgment is Coming

Take your Bibles, if you would, please, and turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10. I'd like to preach to you a message today entitled "Judgment Is Coming." Judgment is coming. And I want to expand upon the text with you. First of all, you'll see the word judgment coming up in the text several different times. Hebrews chapter 10, verses 26 and following, is where we'll start, and I'd like to put at the forefront of your mind that within the Hebrew thought of judgment, it is not necessarily a negative thing. The Hebrew word for judgment is mishpat, and this is not negative. Judgment is often viewed as negative in our context, in what we perceive as judgment, but it conveys fairness and properness and correctness and justness. And so let's read the text today and see this idea of judgment coming from the perspective in which the hearers of the Hebrew text would have heard the idea of judgment: that God is fair.

All right. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 26 and following, says this: "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Let's pause for prayer.

Lord, thank You for this text. May we perceive it as You have intended, for us to know what You are intending for us to live by. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

And so this idea that "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," "The Lord will judge His people," these ideas are based upon the Old Testament text of Isaiah 26:11 and such, in that God is One who has fury and fire towards sin and will consume His adversaries. And so judgment is most certainly coming.

If I could help to exposit the text for just a few minutes: in verse 26, it gives us the idea of intentional, willful, continual sin. And so this means a person is headed towards apostasy, and this means a person is willfully engaged in sin and heading away from Christ.

Hebrews repetitiously moves from the Old Testament to the New Testament. This is the book of Hebrews and how it has a trend or a pattern throughout the entire book. It moves the Hebrews from the Old Testament into the New Testament, from the old covenant into the new covenant, from the Law to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what has been dubbed the lesser-to-the-greater argument. And so the preacher is convincing and persuading and dragging and pulling the rebellious ones who are drifting back into the self-sufficiency of the Law and trying to find grace from God by their works. He is dragging them out of this Old Testament mindset. And you know that the Ten Commandments and the entire Law was never intended by God as a means of salvation. It was to show them that they are sinners in need of a Savior, to point to the Law-fulfiller. And so this secular idea of working one's way up to God or into righteousness is a common, very, very, very common, human prideful disposition.

And this is not just for those who are headed towards apostasy. This text is also a warning text for Christians who would rebel against God in all of His grace and sufficiency and try to do things their own way. The preacher of Hebrews is preaching to, obviously, a mixed crowd. There would be believing Jews and unbelieving Jews in this crowd. I would encourage you to do what the Hebrew preacher is persuading them to do: to repent and run back to Jesus quickly. Turn from your wicked ways and run to Jesus. This is very, very important.

And so judgment is certain in the text. And it's incredible to see that judgment is certain. Just as certain as it was for those who died in the old covenant way to face judgment, it is just as certain for those who die in the new covenant way to face judgment as well. And so this is an argument from verses 28 to 29. Let's just skip forward and dig a little bit out of these two verses with me, if you would.

In verse 28, it says, "Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses." This setting aside of the Law is covered in Deuteronomy 17:2–7. Deuteronomy 17 explains how anyone who is guilty of not following the Law gets the death penalty based upon the witness of at least two or three. And so this death penalty for abandoning the old covenant is certain. And this is the lesser-to-the-greater argument that the Hebrew author is establishing. The lesser fact is that, according to the Law, you die if you abandon the old covenant, if you are not following its way according to the Law in Deuteronomy 17:2–7.

But just as certain as that is, verse 29: "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded," and defiled, "the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" The lesser argument, you will die if you abandon the old covenant, which has been established in Deuteronomy, is now greater in the new covenant: if you abandon Christ and forsake Christ and turn from Christ. And so this is the lesser-to-the-greater argument. If the Hebrews do not continue towards Christ, having received the knowledge of the truth, the text says, and then they refuse to draw near to Christ, the text says in verse 22, and hold fast to Christ, the text says in verse 23, then they will be turning away from Christ and the new covenant for the old covenant. And the old covenant, the Law, kills. It never did save. It only pointed to Christ.

Apologetically, this does not mean that Christians who fall away cannot be restored. Oftentimes this text is misread. King David fell, but he was restored back to fellowship with God. Psalm 23:3 says, "He restores my soul." Isn't that comforting, that even though King David committed such atrocities, he was restored to fellowship with God? And then it says in Psalm 51:12, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." The restoration of God is oftentimes so sweet and so humbling that it causes tears to flow from your eyes once you know you are deserving of condemnation. You're deserving of chastisement. You're deserving of being disciplined and punished, and yet He restores your soul. How sweet it is to be restored by such a wonderful heavenly Father.

In verse 27, if you'd skip back up a little bit, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. It's intensely terrifying. This word terrifying means intensely, internally horrified. No horror flick comes close to how much God will terrify you if you are unsaved, headed towards judgment. In verse 27 it says, "But a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." Isaiah 26:11 also attests to the punishment here of unrepentant people with this strong, provocative language.

You see, the Hebrew preacher is provoking a response. The response is intended for them to repent and run to Jesus. And so this strong language is important to see. It is intended to grab onto the conscience of the rebellious one and to convict the souls of those who are drifting away from Jesus. The response should be repentance. Oftentimes, we know that the road is narrow, and unfortunately, we see more whose response is spurning Jesus or running from Jesus or blaming Jesus or blaming Christians, and all these types of negative responses.

Keep in mind, judgment is a positive thing for Christians and a negative thing for unbelievers. And so it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God if you're a nonbeliever, if you're an adversary of God. The text says that God will consume the adversaries. In verse 28 again, they've set aside the Law of Moses, which was custom-designed to lead them to Christ. And then in verse 29 it says that there is a severe punishment that will await those who trample, and those who regard, and those who insult the Spirit of grace. These are three things here that you see in the text. It's important for us to also see these three offenses that the Hebrew preacher lists out as an indictment.

And this word trampled means to simply step on Christ and lift yourself up. Would you abandon the graces that are within Christianity and utilize the benefits of Christianity to lift up the self? It's not just a matter of nonbelievers abandoning the cross and the true salvation here. This is also a fact for us as ones who would live authentically before Christ and not utilize His benefits for our own exaltation. Do not expect more from God. Is not what God is for you enough? And is not what God has done for you enough? And so we must not trample on Christ like unbelievers do, nor should we regard that which is holy as unholy. Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil." And so a characteristic of those who are not Christians and are abandoning Christ, heading towards apostasy, is that they ascribe that which is holy as being evil. And they also say that which is evil is actually good. They're truly perverted in their mind. They're going in the wrong direction, both in life and both in mind and heart. They have trampled under foot the Son of God and regarded the blood of Christ, that which is pure, as actually insufficient, or even not sufficient.

Let me pause right there for just a moment. Can you picture this? We really do not, in our culture, grasp the intensity of the text. What if you were living in this time, when you actually had to raise a lamb, lambs, and bring a lamb that perhaps your children had fallen in love with, a speckled lamb and a lamb that is not perfect, as a sacrifice to the temple, and see that thing slaughtered, and the life leave its eyes, and then see it burned as a sacrifice unto the Lord? The gravity of your sin, having to have a death payment to pay for your sin, sets in.

And this is the picture, then: that you would regard the death of Christ, and Him giving His life, the life leaving His eyes and the blood flowing out of Him, you would regard the blood and the life of Christ as insufficient and even as dirty. To trample on this and to regard that which is holy as unholy, is that not punishable by death? And is that not a terrifying sin, a terrible sin, deserving of being terrified at a judgment to come?

You've insulted the Spirit of grace. In the text it says that those who have done this have insulted the Spirit of grace. In the text, the word insulted means more than just an offense. It actually means outraged. You've outraged. It actually means you've treated the Holy Spirit with shame. See, this word insulted is beyond having a disagreement. You can insult someone and disagree with someone, but that's so shallow and surface-level as compared to what this Hebraic meaning means. You've insulted the Holy Spirit of grace. You've insulted Christ. You are actively turning away from Jesus. How severe a punishment there is for those who do this.

"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." This is to say that divine punishment belongs to God. Retribution belongs to God. He will repay, "for the wages of sin is death." So these things are such that God puts before us to understand when He says in verse 30, down through the text, that He will repay. It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.

Notice the I will statement in here: "I will repay." In verse 30, "For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.'" The opposite of the old covenant, in which you, they, had to obey and such, is the new covenant, in which God does the work. Look with me back in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 16, and I want you to see how God claims to do the work. This is the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. I want you to look at the I will statements in this quote from the Old Testament, from Jeremiah 31. The Hebrew preacher quotes this covenant, but I want to draw your attention to how many times God says, I will.

In Hebrews 10:16 it says, "This is the covenant that I will make." Okay? So God makes the covenant. I will make the covenant. "After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart." And so God does the work of putting the law in your heart. I will do that. "And on their mind I will write them." And the third I will statement: I will write them. The laws of God have been written on your hearts and your minds. And then in verse 17, "And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." So God does all of the work here.

The old covenant was between God and the people. God was perfect. The people were imperfect. Now, the new covenant is not ratified by God and man. In the new covenant, God only, apart from man, ratifies this covenant. Only by God is their salvation. He creates within you a new heart. He writes His law on your heart. He puts it on your mind, and He causes you to obey Him. This covenant, the new covenant, is a work of God, only a work of God. "For by grace you have been saved… not of works, lest anyone should boast," Ephesians 2:8–9.

And so the old covenant required man to obey. The old covenant required man to atone. The old covenant required man to appease by sacrifice, and to make a covenant, and to deal with their sin. But sacrifices and washings and regulations never could obtain eternal redemption, Hebrews 9:12. And so the old covenant never could obtain eternal redemption. But this new covenant, in which God does this work, He does as a work of God inside of you. Praise the Lord for that.

And so if you're taking notes today in light of the fact that judgment is coming in this text, I want you to know, point number one, that judgment is coming. He will repay. "For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay." Judgment is coming. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." Judgment is coming. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Christians and non-Christians will all show up to judgment. Judgment is coming. Point number one: judgment is coming.

Point number two: judgment is comforting for Christians. Judgment truly is a comforting thing for Christians. And remember that the Hebrew word for judgment is not necessarily negative in and of itself. It is just and proper and right. It's comforting for Christians because of Hebrews 10:17. Look with me, if you would, in the text, Hebrews 10:17. What a wonderful comfort this is. Recognize the work of God in verse 17: "I will remember their sins no more." Oh my, that is something you can put on repeat and go to sleep to. God says, I will remember your sins no more.

J. C. Ryle stated this concept in an epigrammatic way. That means that he stated it in a very creative, epic way. He said it like this: "Sin forsaken is one of the best evidences of sin forgiven." Isn't that sweet? And so that is to say that our having forsaken our sins is evidence that we are saved and that those sins have been forgiven.

King David said it better when he was comforted by God's forgiveness in Psalm 103:12. Authoritatively, God says this about sin. Hear this imagery. Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." He remembers them no more. They're gone. They've been washed clean from your conscience. And praise God, when we show up at judgment, we can be confident as Christians that this is a positive thing. And so, point number two: judgment is comforting for Christians.

Point number three is the opposite: judgment is terrifying for adversaries. Judgment is terrifying for adversaries. In the text in verse 27, it says the word terrifying. And so there's a terrifying expectation. Hebrews 10:27: "but a terrifying expectation of judgment" is there for those who are adversaries of the Lord. And you have severe punishment coming in verse 25. And then destruction. In chapter 10, verse 39, you have this word destruction: "But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." Hebrews 10:39 says that if you shrink back, then you are unsaved and you're headed towards destruction. And those who shrink back and then repent, obviously, are just walking this battleground road as Christians. And as you sin, you want to confess your sins as soon as you can, and repent, and run back to Jesus, and not act like an unbeliever.

One reason why judgment is terrifying for adversaries is because of Exodus 34:7, which says this: "He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished." And that's a comfort to believers as well. Because as you look around and you see the adulterers, the murderers, those who are committing murder by even murdering unborn babies, paid for by our government, and all the atrocities that are in this world, you say, "Where is God?" Well, be comforted, because the Bible says, "He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished."

When a child is murdered, when a child murders a child, when parents kill their children, when children kill their parents, when all these different horrific things happen, when there are rapes and murders and atrocities in the world, it is unsettling to the soul. And when you look around at all of these things, you think, "Man, this is horrific." Well, you can be comforted in the fact that God has noted every single deed and will repay them specifically to the degree to which they have offended His holiness. And so by no means will God leave the guilty unpunished.

In Luke 12:1–5, I want you to see, if you would turn to Luke 12. Luke 12:1–5: Jesus warns His disciples of pharisaical hypocrisy and that everything in the dark will be brought to the light. Luke 12:1–5 is a severe warning that you should fear God, which means to have a lot of respect for the One who holds all of the power for your life, for eternity. Luke 12, verse 1 and following, says, "Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.'" Okay? Luke 12:1: beware of hypocrisy. Jesus is talking to His disciples. You should hear this personally.

In verse 2 it says, "'But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!'"

Fear God. It's a popular motto today. You see it on a lot of hats and T-shirts. Fear God. Don't fear man; fear God. And that is very true. We need to keep that at the forefront of our mind, to have respect for God, because He holds the cards for your eternity and how you will be.

Acts chapter 17, verse 31, is another good text to turn to, if you want. I would like for you to. In Acts chapter 17, you see that Paul was preaching on Mars Hill in Athens to the religious. I will call them ignoramuses, because the Bible calls them ignorant. And he was explaining the resurrection in Acts 17. He was explaining the resurrection of Christ, and that Christ made the world, and from one He made every nation, and that we should all seek God, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world. Acts 17:31: "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Jesus, our Judge, has a fixed day in which He will be judging the world.

And so this word ignoramuses is found in the text, and I want you to see that as well, in Acts chapter 17, verse 23. Acts 17:23: "Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you." The unknown God, whom they were ascribing as unknown, Paul said, I know who He is. Let me tell you who He is. It's Jesus, and He is the way, the truth, and the life. And He died on the cross and rose again for the payment of sin, for those who would repent and believe. And Paul proclaimed the gospel from the very beginning, in Genesis 1:1: The Creator God is who I'm talking about. The Creator God, the God of the heavens and the earth, the unknown God whom you do not know. You're ignorant of the one true God, and you're worshiping all these other false gods, man-made gods. The one true God, the God who created the heavens and the earth, who gave the Law so that you can see that His holy Law exposes your imperfections and that you need a Savior, who was prophesied to come, who would die on the cross for your sins. Believe in Him. Be saved. Everyone should believe in Jesus Christ. But if you don't, judgment is a terrifying thing for you. Point number three, again: judgment is terrifying for the adversaries.

Now, you would say to those who would sarcastically push back to you, "God is a God of love. He loves me just the way that I am." You would say to them, "Oh, really? He loves you just the way that you are? The fact that God says that you have trampled upon His Son does not merit punishment?" What father would allow some heathen to trample upon his son? Or equate his righteousness with filthiness? You're guilty, guilty, guilty.

But the person would say to you, "Now, our all-benevolent, lovely God would bless those with good hearts, who are good people with good intentions. They never murdered anybody." And you reply to them, "Oh, so good people go to heaven?" Well, that nullifies the cross. Why then did Jesus die? Read the book of Galatians and see that if you believe that good people go to heaven, then you've nullified the cross. Because good people do not go to heaven; saved people go to heaven. It's only by the blood of Jesus that you can have eternal redemption.

So the popular rebuttal to the gospel is simply, "No, God is a God of love." But what they do is they reduce God down to just a God of love, to one attribute, and they forgo the holiness of God. You'll have this rebuttal as well: "There's just no way that God can be angry at sinners. He's a God of love." And I would say to them in return, and you too would say, "Oh, really? Can you have two emotions at the same time upon one thing?" Well, God can too. He can both love the sinner and want the best for him and hate him in his sin. And so too, we can love and hate at the same time.

And so do not create within yourselves a false dichotomy of God and be pigeonholed by atheist rebuttals that try to say that God is love and He expects that... and He would allow anyone who was good to go to heaven. Well, who then makes the rules on who is good? What determination do you have for what is good? We have a book, we have a law, we have a standard, and this standard is clear. And we must truly study to show ourselves approved, to be able to show that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.

And so, for the ones who are ignorant of God's truth, you ask them, "Do you believe that God exists?" I know you do. The Scriptures say that you do. And then as well, "Now that you know that God exists, do you believe that this God is the Creator of everything visible and invisible?" "Yes, we do." "Okay. Do you believe that God has disclosed Himself in His Word? Do you believe that this is the holy words of God?" Then you must see what He has said, and His self-claims, and that Jesus said, "I and the Lord are one," in John 10:30. And then show them the death and the burial and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And show them Mark 1:15: "Repent and believe in the gospel." Be saved. Persuade them. Drag them out of darkness and into the light of Christ, because it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.

Oh, but what if they start showing signs of being a little bit nervous, or "I've got to go," or "This conversation is a little bit too intense"? What if they start showing signs of disinterest? What do you do? Ignore it. Give them the gospel. The greater thing at hand is their soul and eternity. If you truly care about them, give them the gospel. And don't be subject to friendship evangelism based upon whether or not they like you. If they're looking at you from your shoes to your hair and you think, "Oh, I wonder if they like the kind of shoes I have on," that's futile. "What if they approve of what kind of style of clothes I have? Will they listen to me because they like me?" That's futile. Get that out of your minds.

It is the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And so you give them the gospel. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," Romans 10:17. Give them the gospel, and don't be deterred by these worldly things. Most of you who evangelize regularly would attest to this. It happens all the time. As soon as you get to the goods, as soon as you get to the gospel, here come some loud sirens, right? As soon as you get to the point where you can call them to repent and believe, some cat just goes crazy. All these distractions show you that you are on the right path. There is an evil one who fights back in the spiritual realm, and you fight back with the sword of God, with the Word. You keep on quoting the Word. You evangelize.

These people in the text who are apostatizing, it's not necessarily saying that they have apostatized. This is not a condemning text. This text is saying that if you continue to turn away from the gospel, away from the cross, you're trampling upon the Son of God. That's an apostate direction. You don't have to get all weirded out about whether or not, if you turn from Jesus, you're condemned. That's not what the text is encapsulating. This is a warning text. So whether you're saved or whether you're not saved, this text is for you to see that you should continue in Christ with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Continue in Christ. Be faithful. Repent and run to Jesus every single day. Our flesh is our enemy. Christ is for us.

So we know that at the end of our days, judgment is coming. Revelation 20:12 says this: you will be judged according to your works. You will be judged according to your works. That's indifferent to gender. It's not assuming that you're saved or unsaved. Everyone is going to the judgment. Judgment is soon. It's definitive. It's final. And its rewards of righteousness are for those who are in Christ. Its punishments are for the wicked, and they are detailed for those who have rejected Christ. This judgment is just, it's detailed, it's public, it's immediate, it's final, and it's for everybody.

I leave you with this theological thought that is throughout not only the book of Hebrews, but throughout the Bible. This idea of recapitulation means that, theologically, the concepts that matter in the Bible are repeated: a recap, or a repetitious reviewing, for our betterment. This summarization of what is important comes as a recap. And judgment has already come up in the text in Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27: "It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment." And now you come to this text here, where judgment is mentioned a whole bunch of times, over and over and over again. It's this idea of recapitulation, this repetitious reviewing of main concepts that are important for you to know.

Well, let me just prove it to you, and just listen. You don't have to follow along. The recap of important subjects, such as the blood in verse 19, the blood of Jesus. It's also said in 9:12 and 9:14, "through His own blood" and "by the blood." And then the veil was mentioned over and over and over again: "behind the second veil" and "through the veil." And then the idea of the priesthood: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve different times the priesthood is mentioned in this particular book of Hebrews. And then the house of God, four or five times, over and over and over again.

And the idea of drawing near, in verse 22, "let us draw near," was also mentioned in chapter 4, verse 16; chapter 7, verse 19; chapter 7, verse 25; chapter 10, verse 1; and chapter 11, verse 6. Let us draw near. We are to draw near to God. Those who draw near to God are made perfect, those who have drawn near. "He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him," and draw near to God.

And these concepts are being repeated: the idea of being sprinkled clean in 9:22, and then 9:19 and 9:21 and 11:28, and then the cleansing of the conscience, and then the holding fast. These concepts have been repeated, and now I bring to the forefront of your mind the fact that judgment has been repeated as a concept for us to know that it is coming soon. 9:27: after death comes judgment. And 10:27: the expectation of judgment. And in chapter 10, verse 30: the Lord will judge. And then in chapter 13, verse 4: fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

And so I give you just a couple of take-home truths. Are you ready? Take-home truth number one: holiness brings happiness. I want you, as a Christian, to anticipate judgment, to anticipate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with joy. Psalm 16:11 says, "In Your presence is fullness of joy." In His presence is fullness. I want you to anticipate judgment, not live in fear of God, who is going to judge you. Judgment for Christians is a positive thing. It's a just thing. God has removed your sins. He's forgiven your sins. You don't have to pay for your sins, because the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross paid for your sins, past, present, and future. They're gone. He remembers them no more.

And so it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. He's going to be angry at judgment with those who've rejected His Son, and trampled on His Son, and called His Son's blood impure. You haven't done that. You've believed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to wash away your sin. You've believed in the sacrifice of His life. You've believed in the double imputation, in that not only has He imputed unto you His righteousness, but, by a double way, at the same time, simultaneously imputed unto His Son your wickedness. You know that when Christ comes, it is a positive and glorious thing. You live that way. And don't be confused by the fact that after death comes judgment, because for Christians it is a positive thing. It's a just thing. You will be rewarded for all of your righteous deeds, and thank the Lord, all of our unrighteous deeds have been washed down the river.

Take-home truth number two, and I close with this: readiness brings happiness. Readiness. If you are ready, if you're walking with the Lord, if you are tabernacling with the Lord, if you're ready for Jesus to come, you wake up and say, "Lord Jesus, come. I'm so glad You've given me another day, but I'd be even happier if You came today. Come, Jesus, come." Readiness. I'm ready. All of my relationships are right. I'm right with God, and I am right with people. I'm ready. I've confessed my sins. I've been saved. I am ready to see the Lord. I'm ready, and I'm anticipating the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Live with this eager expectation of the coming of Jesus, and you will be happy.

Jesus led His entire ministry with this idea of being blessed. And I want to read just the Beatitudes with you real fast in closing. Matthew chapter 5, if you would turn there. And let's just read how blessed it is to be ready and waiting for Jesus: how to be ready, how to be blessed. Jesus led off with this... I use a term that's a bit dangerous: the blessed life. Many of you are like, "Whoa, don't use those words." But hey, look, and let's see what it means to be blessed.

In Matthew chapter 5, verse 3, Jesus' words: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." If you've recognized that you have been poor, bankrupt, depraved spiritually, then you're blessed, because now you know that you need Jesus. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom." You can come to Christ as a child with nothing to offer, only faith in His completed work.

And verse 4: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." And verse 5: "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Or a better rendering would be, to be made more hungry. If you're truly a Christian, then you are more and more desirous of righteousness, and of doing right deeds and good deeds, and more and more desirous of holiness and pleasing God.

And verse 7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." I'm big on this one, because "whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." And I know I'm not perfect, and so if I am merciful, then I can only expect mercy in return, because God is a sovereign God, so I'm dependent upon His grace and mercy.

And verse 8: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." You will, at His second coming, see Christ in His full glory if you are pure, if you're holy, if you've been saved. And as well, by way of application, you will see God working all the time in all kinds of ways. If you have spiritual eyes to see, you see what the Lord is doing in the hearts and minds of your brothers and sisters in Christ. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to see God, to perceive God, to know God.

And then as well, it's a blessing: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Those who proactively work towards seeing that the gospel of peace is spread to those who do not have peace with God, and who also create peace within the church.

And it ends here: "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Like Moses was persecuted, you'll be in the same line, receiving the same rewards. And the prophets who are in the same line of judgment, receiving the same rewards, you will be in that line. You will be in the lineup with the wonderful prophets of God. You'll be right there receiving their rewards. Oh, God is so just. Isn't it wonderful to think about receiving His just rewards, and to live in that anticipation?

Thank God for His grace. Thank God for His mercy. Thank God for our salvation. Now we just simply remain faithful and continue in Him and look forward with eager anticipation to His reappearing in the judgment.

Let's pray together.

Lord, thank You for the text today, and I pray that You would keep us with an eager expectation, with an optimistic view of Your return in judgment. And those who do not know You personally, who have not been saved, may they really, truly grasp the terrifying expectation of showing up to judgment without having been saved by Your Son's work on the cross. May they repent of their sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross, and yet You, God, rose Him from the grave for the payment of sin. We love You. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.