WE come to the end of the Belgic Confession today. And for 37 articles we have confessed together our faith. We Believe! We believe. We believe. And today we confess together one more time “we believe.” Yes, this faith that we professed points us to the end, and sustains us to that end, for it Causes our eyes to look up and to see all of life in the light of eternity. This life is but a breath. This life is but a mist that is here today gone tomorrow. Our life is like the grass of the field. But His life is eternal. The life of Christ is imperishable and immortal. And it is his life which is our life. And it is his return which will lead to our return home to communion with God, and the restoration of all things. For all those who hold on and say, “I believe!!!”
Jesus Christ is returning as judge of the living and the dead
- What this means for the righteous
- What this means for the wicked
- What this means for creation.
A comfort for the Righteous.
We confess, “He will declare himself judge of the living and the dead and set old world afire in order to purge it. then all people, men, women, and children, who ever lived, from the beginning of the world to the end, will appear in person before him.” Dear church Jesus Christ – your Savior will be your judge! Will you be found in him? Individually you will appear before him as he is – in all his glorious majesty as he sits on the judgement throne of the universe.
Jesus knows all. This is an amazing comfort for those who are living in the light of his truth. The Christian need not be afraid – for his life is already open before the judge. We bring it all to the throne room of God and find forgiveness in Christ at the cross! Sin is gone! If you are living in fear of the return, I have two questions for you. 1. Is there sin in your life that you are hiding and not confessing? Are you living as a hypocrite? Then be afraid. If not, the I want to ask another question 2. If you have confessed, do you understand what Jesus did at the cross for you. Your sins are buried with him. You will be judged based on the fruit you bore in Christ. In his return we will finally be free from this body of death! It is a rich comfort for the sinner.
It is also a rich comfort for the oppressed. This vision of the return of Christ allows us to endure suffering, affliction and persecution well. God will hold every corrupt politician to account. Every person that persecuted the church of God. The injustice, the murders, the slave trade, the genocide, the crime, the persecution the abuse! Listen to the word of our God, “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 he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” In light of these words let me ask you all a simple question, how much does all that you are pursuing today really matter really? Doesn’t knowing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ change everything?
You will see Christ as he is. NOW! Not as he was when he walked on earth. But as he is now. In His earthly life his glory was veiled. But when he comes it won’t be. He will be awesome and awe-inspiring in majesty and glory! Indeed, when you first see him, you may fall down like John did in Revelation 1! But he will reach down and say, “fear not!”
May you be living toward that day. Giving yourself and all you have for the work of the Lord. Hold nothing back beloved. Don’t hold any part of your life, or livelihood back. There is one end and one goal of all history – and it is the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord – and that his church might be glorified in him.
So, church. Be steadfast in faith. Patient in affliction. Abounding in love and faithfulness! Do not grow weary of doing good. The goal of your salvation – Jesus Christ awaits! He is not only the author, but the perfector. Not only the beginning but also the end of your faith! O what a joy and relief it will be for the body of Christ – the church - who has lived as one pursued, hated, persecuted. Enduring suffering, rejection, and contempt. Indeed, it is this suffering that is working in us an incomparable eternal glory.
And today we may cry with the church of all ages, “COME!” We are one with our persecuted brother Guido de Bres, and one with the suffering Christians in the middle east. We are one. We are one with Abraham who left all. We are one with Moses who “chose to be mistreated with his people then enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin!” The bride of Christ has been hated by this world, just as they hated her husband! But this “evidence of Gods righteous judgement, that we may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which we are also suffering.”
One day all the elect will be vindicated. This was written during a time of intense persecution. When those who were not part of the catholic church were judged as heretics. But Guido de Bres knows that although the “cause of the faithful and elect may at present be condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil authorities,” nevertheless it “will one day be recognized as the cause of the Son of God.” beautiful. In a time when Christians are beginning to be seen as bigots, and hateful. In a time where sin is exalted, and righteousness is often cast to the ground. In a time when Christians are seen as the heretics of the new sexual revolution, and on the wrong side of history, we may know that one day all will be seen plainly.
A Terror for the wicked.
Not only will this day be a joy and comfort, and lead to glory for the elect. It will be a day of terror, eternal suffering, and utter humiliation for those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
All will be exposed - the secrets and hypocrisy of men. If you are here and you know yourself to be a hypocrite, there is no better time as now to put your faith in Christ. Do not think that a life of hypocrisy will not be found out. Do not think that it is not a bid deal I beg you do not wait. Confess all now. Find forgiveness in Jesus and his blood now! His grace is sufficient! The books will be opened and will be judged according to what they have done in the world. Will it be your work, or Christ work in you? Trust you don’t want to take a chance on yourself righteous, and your being good before men. There is only one thing that can be accepted. And that is Jesus righteousness.
For those who have not submitted to the gospel, the bible says he will be revealed, “with his mighty angels in 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” Wow!
And did you catch that? It for those who “Do not obey the gospel!” You cannot have Jesus as savior and not desire in all things to submit to him as Lord of your life.
We read in the confession that it is according to what they have done that they will be judged. It is by your fruit that you will be known. The greatest work is to believe in the one God has sent and to abide in him. But those who abide in Jesus produce fruit. This idea that we will be judged according to what we have done echoes scripture. We read in Matthew 7, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
And we see the same idea return in Matthew 25 where Jesus portrays himself as the judge. We read, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” You want to know what the difference is between those on the right and left? It is deeds of love. He concludes the parable with, “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Dear church for those outside of Christ this is a terrifying thing. It should be a fearful thing for those who have not truly believed in Christ. If you are not in Christ, you are carrying sin around like a lead weight. hypocrisy is the silliest thing. Its trying to please men who live but for a breath, rather than finding refuge in the eternal God. Its like trying to polish the outside of the coffin every year, while the inside is rotting.
Yes, for these, the confession says, “the thought of judgement is horrible and dreadful.” So, if your heart convicts you! Listen to it. Do not quiet it. Do not be distracted. Take this moment in worship and lay your life before your savior! He will forgive. He will redeem. He will love. But if your do not repent, it will be your conscience that will witness against you on that day. We confess, “The wicked will be convicted by the testimony of their own conscience.”
This is a call to repent! As Paul says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Because of these the wrath of God is coming!
He goes on to say, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Indeed, we may prayer along with David, “Search my thoughts and know me, see if there is any sinful way in me!”
What this means for Creation
I love how Article 37 stresses the visible bodily return of Jesus Christ. “Our Lord Jesus will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended with great glory and majesty.” This means there will be no rapture. A secret coming of the Lord, which no one will see. No, No, all eyes will see him. there will be one final definite end when the resurrection and the life appear in glory! And those who refused to see with the eyes of faith will see him. And for those who have seen him, they will finally behold him as he is. For now, we see as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now we know in part then we shall know fully even as we are fully known.
Our bodies will be made like unto his. Christ is the first fruits! He is the beginning of a new creation. The old creation will be purged of all its sin, and evil and wickedness, and there will be a home of righteousness.
Christian hope is not for the annihilation of the earth, but the restoration of all creation to service of the Lord. Our heavenly hope is that the Lord sets things right, and heaven and earth are united. Our lives now should anticipate the new creation to come, in which we reign with King Jesus in the renewed creation. Heavenly hope involves a material, embodied restoration. Heaven and earth will come together as Christ’s kingship is recognized by all creation. What will it be like? I don’t know. The Bible does not give details. But we know it will be better than the best you can imagine – and it will be forever.
The Kingship of Christ is one that lasts forever. In that eternal reign His church will join in His triumph and participate in His glory. We need to understand that the mission of the church is not a temporary matter. It is a mission from the ages and unto the ages and for the ages. The church must understand that her mission is one that matters eternally. Not just spiritually but materially. It's not for nothing that “creation is groaning even now for the sons of God to be revealed.” Do you hear it? It is groaning as in the pangs of childbirth. What happens after the worst of the pang of childbirth? New life! This is what creation is looking forward to. New life. The fullness of life!
It is a mission that can never be regarded as being of secondary importance.
In Conclusion let me read the well-known words that we received at the beginning of this service. ‘Grace and Peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth.” And you know what it says right after that? “Behold (Or Lookout!) he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who have pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.”
He IS coming on the clouds. In other words, he is one his way. And who is this one that is coming! The faithful witnesses! The one who stayed true to the end! Who stands as the resurrected witness to the gospel and all it entails! In days when your witness is tested, - Jesus is the faithful witness. The first born of the dead. The first born has authority and is preeminent in all things. The first born also has others that follow him. He has conquered death. What can we fear? The ruler of the kings of the earth! In the end his will will be supreme. He is the absolute monarch of heaven and earth. And as our king he is both willing and able to sustain us in the battle
It is the one who loves us and released us from our sins. He loves us! He has freed us from our sins. we have been freed from the greatest oppressor of all. Sin. The real problem is sin. It is the greatest oppressor of all. And Christ has freed all his loved one from that slavery!
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let's preach it! Let's share it! The power of sin has been broken! Death is conquered!
At the end the return of the Lord Jesus Christ brings hope and joy for the believer. It was in the Middle Ages where the church would rule the people through fear. That they were not good enough! That is not the point in this article to make you afraid that you won't be good enough. Trust me on your own you are not ready. The question I have for you is “You aren’t. The question is, “Is Christ sufficient? Today?” And the answer is an absolute yes!!! The beauty of the gospel is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. O what a joy awaits you beloved! Don’t wait another day! So go to him, open your live to him and give yourself to him. Jesus our King is coming back. Come Lord Jesus.
Amen.