St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Last Judgment -- November 3^rd and 6^th, 2005

What does the date June 6, 1944 bring to mind for you? It is a very important date in the history of the world. It is a date that had been in the planning for years and years. It is a date that changed the course of history. It is the day that we call D-Day. It is the day that Dwight D. Eisenhower had set as the day nearly 150,000 troops would be shuttled across a narrow portion of the English Channel to the beaches of Normandy France. This was a monumental project. It used nearly 7,000 ships and 12,000 aircraft. Anyone who knows anything about this day knows that it was a brutal battle. Over the course of this battle and the battles that followed around 100,000 men lost their lives. There are now 27 war cemeteries in this area with little white markers neatly laved out to mark each of these 100,000 plus soldiers who gave their lives on this day we call D-Day.

As we gather today for this Sunday of the Church year that we call Last Judgment we soon recognize that that there is another day that is coming that is going to be more monumental than the great D-Day. It is a day that is set and will happen. It is the day that will change the course of all things. This D-Day that we are talking about is Judgment Day. Today we will use the theme:

Our text is a logical continuation of chapter four. In Chapter four Paul helped to answer some questions about death and our resurrection. If the Christians at Thessalonica had questions about dying and the resurrection, no doubt some of them had other worries as well. Perhaps they worried about the Last Day, the day of the Savior's glorious return. Perhaps they were frightened at the prospect of facing the just Judge. Or maybe they had even begun to wonder whether Jesus, the Judge, was really coming back to earth. This text removes all doubts and anxieties we Christians might have about the return of Jesus. The Lord is coming, and we need not be afraid.

It is important to remember that twice in our text Paul addresses the Thessalonians as "brothers", which means that they were believers in Christ. Paul does not doubt their Christianity just because there is some confusion and misunderstanding concerning the teaching of Christ's return. Paul addresses them as people who had been instructed in the gospel. He even emphasizes this fact in verse two: "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come." Literally it means that you yourselves know accurately and in great detail. They really had no pressing need for a further revelation, but Paul knew that the Christian teacher continually refreshes and reviews what already has been taught. No new revelation is needed, but continual repetition strengthens the new man and daily drowns the old Adam with his unbelief. Patiently the Apostle instructs them again.

The review lesson for the Thessalonians and for us today is "about times and dates". God's timetable, or schedule of arrival, is not known by anyone. Jesus himself told us not to be concerned about the exact "when" of his return. Much as we curious mortals would like definite details about the day of the Lord, our wise Father in heaven does not reveal the times and dates. And that is a blessing. By not knowing the timetable, we Christians are moved by a sense of urgency, a sense of constant readiness. In his love the Father teaches us to be watchful and to be diligent in our calling from day to day.

Paul's uses the comparison, "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." This must have been a picture which the Thessalonians knew well. The point of the word-picture is clear. Since the Lord's return is unknown, many will be unprepared! It is a fitting picture for it presents a striking comparison. Although we don't know the exact time, we do know the Lord is coming. The present tense of the word coming stresses the inescapable fact. JESUS IS COMING! Never can we fall to the temptation of doubt in this regard. The uncertainty of the time never diminishes the certainty of the return.

The phrase "day of the Lord" calls to mind the urgent preaching of the Old Testament prophets, men such as Joel, Zechariah and Malachi. The day is coming, and it will be a dual D-day. It will be a day of deliverance for Christ's people, and a day of destruction for all unbelievers. So the day of the Lord at the same time warns and comforts us. It warns us against a false sense of security. It comforts and encourages us because our heavenly inheritance is waiting for us for Jesus' sake. The day of the Lord will be a day of terror for those who are unprepared, who are living in unbelief. Paul portrays this terror in verse three. There are some who are living in false security. Some people feel comfortable in their daily routine. Everything seems to be fine. Everything seems to be stable. Such thinking is reflected in the misleading expression, "Peace and safety". It causes us to remember Peter's words, "They will say, 'Where is this "coming" ! he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation' " (2 Pe 3:4).

Beware of these evil people. Their destruction will be swift and complete. It will be a sudden destruction! The word "destruction" contrasts the picture used above. It means the complete opposite of the peace and safety which some people think they have. The word contains the idea of death, destruction, and total ruin. This section impresses us with the fact that total destruction is hanging over the wicked.

The Apostle uses one more word picture to demonstrate the suddenness and inescapability of the Lord's return. A pregnant woman cannot change her mind or her condition. The pain of labor will begin. It's too late. The delivery is at hand. Unbelievers cannot change their mind or condition either when the day of the Lord arrives. It will be too late. This picture shows us that the door is closed on any escape. The warning against unbelief is here. "He who has ears, let him hear."

As Christians our view of the Last Day is different. We know about Jesus and his redemptive work. We are no longer "in the dark" about Judgment Day. We will not suddenly be seized while unprepared. Christians are to be different in their outlook and in their living. We live each day as if it is the last day. All plans and motives are guided by this realization that Jesus is coming soon. While the world is blinded by earthly concerns and plans, the Christian looks ahead to the day of glory. This dramatic difference is expressed by the well-known comparison of light versus darkness. Being adopted by God in Christ Jesus, we are as different from the unbelieving world as light is from darkness. This difference is to be seen in a Christian's conduct, as Paul talks about in the following verses.

Before moving on to examine the Christian's proper conduct in view of the coming judgment, notice the fact that Paul switches to the first person and includes himself in the upcoming encouragements. What an example this is for us! These words are directed to all of us, not just the terrible unbelievers. These words are first and foremost meant for us! We are sinners and saints like all Christians. We constantly need the law to hammer away at our sinful pride and the gospel to build up our faith in Christ. Never can we put ourselves above others.

Paul makes a logical conclusion. If we as Christians are so dramatically different, our lives will display this difference. And the difference is seen in how we stand ready for the Lord's return. Christians are on a constant alert for the return of Jesus. We cannot be caught napping and unprepared. Just as a lazy lifestyle makes a body sluggish and physically out of shape, so being spiritually lazy can make our souls sluggish and sleepy. We are to workout with the Word of God, and use it daily. Those who are without Jesus Christ and his Word are totally unaware of what is really going on. Unbelievers are unaware of how serious their sins are. They are ignorant of God's impending judgment. They are unconscious of Christ's glorious return. Paul uses verbs that show their unconscious state of mind. "Sleeping" denotes spiritual insensibility. "Drunkenness" portrays an unknowing stupor. People living in the darkness of sin don't even realize how out of touch! they are with God and the reality of their predicament.

Not so for the Christian believer standing watch. Paul shows how we can protect ourselves while on guard duty. Dress in the armor of the Lord. The armor terminology is very familiar to us and the Christian virtues of faith, love and hope are familiar to us. These three gifts of the Holy Spirit are highlighted by Paul for a reason. Paul sees in them great gifts for our souls. "Faith" in Jesus as our Savior and the knowledge of his self-sacrificing "love" are like a "breastplate", protecting us from the dangerous attacks of Satan. The "hope" of heaven is like a solid helmet, protecting our mind from being swamped by worldly troubles or day-to-day affairs. Our goal is heaven, so we dress ourselves with Jesus' love and mercy, with his presence and power. Nothing can endanger a person so prepared. No one can harm a person who stands in Jesus.

This last portion o0f the text presents the glorious reason why we Christians can "encourage one another. Really this word means to call someone off to the side and talk things over arm in arm. We can "build up" our confidence in Christ and others confidence in Christ’s return. We are told exactly what our eternal Father has done for us.

Scripture says "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked" and "The Lord is not willing that any should perish" (2 Pe 3:9). God did not put us in this world to suffer his wrath. God did not create Adam and Eve so he could damn them. And although our first parents threw away Paradise by rebelling, God in faithful love promised a Savior from sin. That promise has been fulfilled in Jesus. God wants us to receive salvation through Jesus.

Our text tells us that salvation is already our possession in Christ. We cannot pay for our salvation; we cannot earn it; we cannot work for it. Jesus already has accomplished it. The death of the God-man fully ransomed the world. Jesus satisfied the demands of divine justice. His life is a perfect example of obedience to God's will. His is a perfect payment of what the law demands on account of sin. All this Jesus did as a willing Substitute. He died for us.

The glorious result is the confidence of knowing that we will live with him forever. It is striking to read in verse 10 that we live with the One who died for us. Only through the all-sufficient death of Jesus can we have life. Such is the Christian's confidence. And this confidence will encourage and cheer us as we eagerly wait for the day of his return. We may not know the exact day or year of Jesus’ return, but we do have the knowledge that God has told us all we need to know to be ready for his return. Amen