This evening, we will continue to look at 2 Thessalonians. And this time, we'll be looking at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 5 through 10. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 5 through 10. And if you are using the Pew Bible, you can find this text on page 1259. Page 1259. Before we look at this text, I want to give you a brief outline of this letter. Second Thessalonians has three chapters, and each chapter deals with one topic. The first chapter deal with the circumstance of the church, that the believers in Thessalonica are enduring afflictions and persecutions. And the second chapter deals with the confusion of the church, seeing the church as being disturbed by false teaching about the day of the Lord. And the third chapter deals with the conduct of the Church, because some members in the Church are walking in idleness, because they think the day of the Lord will be coming soon. So as we see, the day of the Lord has caused not only doctrinal confusion, but also practical challenges in the Church of Thessalonica. But the Apostle Paul does not shy away from talking, teaching this doctrine. In fact, as he tries to encourage the believers who are in affliction, the first tool he thinks of is to teach about the day of the Lord. We have to acknowledge the doctrine of the Day of the Lord is hard to understand, and it can be easily abused. But also, we need to realize that this doctrine is a powerful truth. It's a useful and a profitable doctrine to give us comfort, to give us hope as we groan and sigh in this world. So now, please give your attention to the word of God, which is living and active, which is holy and pure. 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, as revealed from heaven 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. 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. So we will end our reading of God's word here. Now please join me in prayer to ask God to bless the preaching of his word. Oh God, our Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us your wonderful word to be our pure spiritual milk, And we ask you to make us hunger for your word and make us delight in your word. And use your word to make us grow in knowledge and obedience so that we may attain to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. What is the day? that you are eagerly looking forward to at the moment. If you are engaged, that day must be your wedding day, when you shall be happily joined to your beloved one in holy marriage. If you are pregnant, that day probably is the due date, when you shall receive the precious life into your arms and into your family. If you are politically minded, you perhaps are looking forward to Inauguration Day, when the new presidency will start and new policies will be put into place. And if you are worried and heavy burdened, then probably you are looking forward to Thanksgiving, when you will take a brief break, or to Christmas, when you will enjoy a longer break. So we are all looking forward to some days when some good and exciting changes may happen. And if we are really excited about a certain day, we don't even need to specify what the day is. We simply refer to it as that day. That day is coming. That day is almost here. That day is what the Apostle Paul mentions frequently in 2 Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1, verse 12, Paul says, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been trusted to me. Then a few verses later, in verse 18, Paul says, may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. Again, in chapter 4, verse 8, Paul declares with confidence, henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day." So again and again, Paul refers to that day as the day that is special to him, a day he assumes Timothy knows as well. And he mentions that day again in today's passage. In 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 10, 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 fact, the Greek text places the phrase, on that day, at the very end of this verse, which is also the very end of this lengthy sentence that goes from verse three all the way to verse 10. And so in this way, Paul wants to emphasize the significance of that day. But what is that day that Paul is referring to, that he is looking forward to, that is common knowledge to all the believers in Paul's time? It is the day of the Lord. It is the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the last great day, the day of final judgment. It is this day that Paul refers to as that day. It is that day that gives Paul confidence and joy as he faces his own death in 2 Timothy. And it is that day that brings comfort and hope to the Thessalonian believers that they endure persecutions and afflictions. Brothers and sisters, do you know that day? And are you looking forward to that day? It's really sad that when that day, which every Christian is supposed to be well acquainted with, now becomes what day, which most Christians are ignorant about. Therefore, it is my burden this evening to show you what that day is to recover the meaning and the usefulness of the great day of the Lord, which shall bring you eternal comfort and a good hope, even as you are suffering. First of all, that day is a day of vindication. Verse 5 says, this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God. Here, Paul transfers the Thessalonians' believers from their present distress to the scene of God's final judgment. It is true that these believers are enduring afflictions For the name of Christ, they are suffering for the kingdom of God. But Paul wants them to see the connection between their current experience and their final outcome. The persecutions and afflictions they are enduring now will serve as evidence on the day of God's righteous judgment. And if they remain steadfast under current trials, if they stand the text of their faith, they will receive the crown of life. And the righteous judge will render the verdict that they are counted as worthy of the kingdom of God. So it will be a day of vindication, a day of celebration. Brothers and sisters, it's true that you have been justified through faith in Jesus. You have been accepted as righteous in God's sight for the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to you. But the devil still accuses you. The world still slanders you, and even your own conscience many times still condemns you. But there will be a day when you shall be openly and publicly acquitted and vindicated before the throne of God and in the eyes of the whole world so that no charge may be brought against you anymore or by anyone. so that all your adversaries, all your accusers, will be put to shame and put to silence once and for all. Do you look forward to that day? To the present hour, you may be subject to ridicule and insults. You may be exposed to shame and affliction. You may be treated as the scum of the world and the refuse of all things. But on that day, you will be declared as God's good and faithful servants. You will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God. And the world will be considered unworthy of you. and you will inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. You will receive everlasting life and fullness of joy, and you will reign with Christ forever and ever. Do you look forward to that day? Now when you suffer severe and a constant affliction, when you cry to God, oh Lord, why? Or how long, O Lord, when you can neither understand the reason for your suffering, nor can receive any relief from your suffering? You can still take heart, because there is such a day when God will put an end to all your suffering, when God will grant relief to you from all your afflictions. And God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. On that day, God will not only vindicate you, but he will also vindicate himself, as he did with Job at the end of their book. He will dissolve all your complaints, all your doubts, all your bitterness, and he will prove his perfect justice and righteousness. And he will demonstrate his steadfast love and faithfulness so that you may affirm, it is good for me to be afflicted. And indeed, God works all things together for my good. So brothers and sisters, take heart in affliction. Because after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. He will vindicate you, and he will grant you relief on that day. But that day is not only a day of vindication. It's also a day of vengeance. It's a day of retribution and punishment. It's a day when God shall repay the wicked for what they have done. Verse six says, since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you. All the persecutors. and oppressors of God's people will be repaid with affliction and torment, which is God's righteous judgment. John Calvin comments on this verse, as God thus spares the wicked for a time and winks at the injuries inflicted upon his people, his judgment to come is shown us as in a mirror. So why does God allow the wicked to afflict his children? One of the reasons is to show the world God's coming judgment against the wicked. And this is what Peter means when he says, it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? For if the righteous should suffer so painfully at the hands of men, how much more will the wicked suffer at the hands of God on that day? Therefore, take heart when you are persecuted for your faith Consider the outcome of your persecutors. Consider what they will receive from God in repayment for what they have done for you. But God will take vengeance not only on the persecutors of his people. Verse 7 tells us that when Christ appears with his mighty angels in flaming fire, he will inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. So it showed that the day of vengeance is primarily concerned with what man has done against God. For although they know God, they do not honor him as God or give thanks to him. Although they hear the gospel, they dismiss it as a joke and trample underfoot the Son of God. And we must realize that everything, no matter how small it may appear to us, is a personal assault on the very character and being of an infinite God. And the affliction that we suffer as a result of our own sin or as a result of the sin of others is only a tiny taste of the real offense and injustice done against God himself. Therefore, God says, vengeance is mine. I will repay. Because every act of sin is primarily and ultimately directed against God. So only God has the first right to take vengeance. And he will repay, for he will not allow anything to go unpunished. And what kind of punishment will sinners suffer? Verse 9 says, they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. They will be cast into hell to be tormented day and night forever and ever. Because as the Heidelberg Catechism explains to us, seeing which is committed against the most high majesty of God must be punished with extreme. That is, with everlasting punishment of body and soul. Here we need to pause to think about which makes that day a day of vindication for us instead of a day of vengeance? And how can we expect to inherit the kingdom of eternal glory rather than suffer the punishment of eternal destruction on that day? Are we not all sinners who fall short of God's glory? And do we not all deserve the wrath of God and the hell of fire? The only thing that separates us from the wicked is that we have believed the testimony, the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the only reason that we are spared from hell is because Jesus has suffered on our behalf the inexpressible anguish, pains, tears, and agonies of hell. He was cut away from the presence of God the Father. That's why he cried on the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He was stripped of the power, the glory of his might, so that he was put to death on the cross and remained under the power of death for a time. But on the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Brothers and sisters. since we know that the judge of all the earth, the judge of the living and the dead, is the very same person who suffered and died for our sin. So we can be sure that he is coming again, not to deal with our sin, but to vindicate us and receive us into his heavenly kingdom. But if you refuse, to obey the gospel of Jesus. If you refuse to take refuge in his righteousness, then that day will be a day of vengeance for you. And he will cast you into the outer darkness, into the punishment of eternal shame and torment. So keep that in your mind. Do you obey the gospel of Jesus? Do you believe the testimony of Jesus that will make a difference of your eternal destiny? It will make a difference whether you will be suffering eternally in hell. or you will be enjoying the presence of God forever in heaven. So the day of the Lord is a day of vindication for God's people. The day of the Lord is a day of vengeance for God's enemies. Finally, it's a day of victory. It's a day of triumph for the Son of God, for that day is appointed ultimately for the manifestation of Christ's glory, while vindication and vengeance are just expressions and evidence of his complete victory over all things in heaven and on earth. On that day, Jesus Christ Lord of lords and king of kings will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, which are his heavenly armies, inflaming fire, which is his chariot. And he will be glorified in his saints and be marveled at among all who have believed, as we see in verse 7 and verse 10. So all the focus on that day is on Jesus. He will be revealed. He will be glorified. In the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. But here, Paul particularly emphasizes that Jesus will be glorified in his saints. This refers to our glorification, which means that we shall all be conformed fully and perfectly in both body and soul to the image of the risen, exalted, and glorified Redeemer. We shall be presented to him in splendor And without blemish, holy, and blameless, we shall be made worthy of the Lord. And we shall be made more perfect, more fit, more suitable for Jesus, even then Eve was for Adam. Moreover, Jesus will be marveled at among all who have believed. Although we have believed in Jesus, we have been united to him, we have known him, we have loved him, we have served him, yet we have never seen him. Or at best, we have only seen him dimly as in a mirror. But when he descends from heaven, when he shall stand upon the earth. On that day, we shall at last see him face to face. We shall behold him with our own eyes. And we shall marvel at his breathtaking beauty and majesty. And our hearts will faint within us. O people of God, how can you forget that day when your Lord and Redeemer shall come to meet with you in glory, to dwell with you forever? Are you looking forward to your wedding day? Then set your mind on that day when you shall be given in marriage forever to your most beloved. Are you looking forward to your baby's due date? Then set your mind on that day when the whole creation will be set free from the pains of childbirth and rejoice in the arrival of the new heavens and the new earth. Are you looking forward to Inauguration Day? Then set your mind on that day when the king of kings shall utterly destroy the kingdom of Satan and to transform his kingdom of grace into a kingdom of glory. And now you're looking forward to your vacation and a break, and set your mind on that day when you shall rest from all toil and labor and enter into a never-ending sabbatical. So whatever day you are looking forward to at this moment, set your mind on that day so that you may receive comfort and hope at this moment, so that you may give your account with joy at the last great day. Let us pray. God, our Heavenly Father, We know that in this world, on this side of glory, we shall suffer many afflictions. But we also know that you have pointed that day, and you have pointed Jesus to be the judge of all the earth. but not to deal with our sin, but to vindicate us, to grant us relief, to receive us into his eternal kingdom. And we also know that you have appointed that day for the punishment, for the condemnation of your enemies. O Lord, that day is the day of Jesus. And we pray that that day, which is special to Jesus, will also be special to us. For this is the day when we shall finally see him face to face. Oh Lord, let us cherish that day. Let us look forward to that day. And especially as we are groaning in this world, as we are suffering in this time, We will take comfort in that great day, and we will know that when Jesus comes, he will put an end to all our suffering, and he will receive us into fullness of joy. Oh, Lord Jesus, come. Lord Jesus come, we are waiting for you and we look forward to your day, to that day. Together we say, Amen.