It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Text: Malachi 4:1-6
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
The end of the world, as we
know it, is coming. It will be a great
day.
On that great day, Jesus will
come back again a second time. But this time, Jesus will be far from meek. His
second coming will not be a coming of grace and mercy but a coming of Judgment. It is a coming of fire and a sword. At the second coming, Jesus will come in
Divine Majesty, surrounded by the host of Angels. When He comes a second time, He will return
visibly in the sight of all to bring a hammer of judgment. No soft manger. No calm donkey. No wavy palm branches. But
instead, great power, a trumpet blast, a majestic-powerful-glory – and
fire!
And that fire? It is going to
burn everything.
Just like the Lord sent
massive floodwaters from the sky and the depths of the earth to flood the
entire world, at the second coming, there will be sudden crackling, sizzling,
sputtering, and a roar due to fire consuming everything.
This is precisely what we hear
in our Old Testament reading from Malachi. The Prophet Malachi tells us that a
day is coming like a blazing forest fire. On that last day, all the arrogant
will be burned up like wood chips in a fire.
It will be a hot day where nothing will be left – everything will be an
ashy black day. It sounds
terrifying.
The Apostle Peter speaks of
this day as well in his epistle. Peter
tells us that there is a day coming when the sky will collapse with a loud bang,
and everything will melt and dissolve by fire.
It certainly sounds frightening.
Now, all this talk about the
end of the world should make us alarmed. It should unsettle us. This talk about
the second coming and the end of the world should make us shuffle in our pews.
Instead of wanting to put our heads in the sand, this news of the end of the
world should cause us to lift our chins and open our ears to listen for
more.
When we do hear more, Malachi
tells us that the coming of that last day will be like a two-edged sword. Indeed,
the coming of Jesus at that great judgment day means two different things for
two different groups of people.
You see, just as fire can both
burn and warm, the second coming of Jesus is both good and bad news - it will
burn some and warm others.
Dear friends, if you think you
can live as the master and commander of your universe, making up your own rules
as you go along, God’s message to you today is to repent or perish. The Lord has promised to come for the
arrogant people – perhaps like you - and call you out onto the carpet. And so, if you have no fear, love, and trust
for God, be afraid. Yes, be very afraid, for that day is coming to you like a
burning oven to set you ablaze.
Dear friends, God will not be
mocked. He will punish the wicked. He will judge all things. No one will escape. The proud and mighty of this world who live
life as if they are strong iron will be powerless in this last day. Everything will burn by the Lord’s wrath down
to the root.
Now, all of this may be difficult
for you and me to hear, especially during the time of Advent and Christmas. This message from Malachi is undoubtedly not
a very festive Advent and Christmas message.
But even if it were not Advent or Christmas, Malachi’s message would still
be challenging to hear for the news of this great last day instills fear,
anxiety, and perhaps stress.
Keep in mind that there are
entire church denominations that spend a great deal of time, energy, and effort
to avoid topics like the one we are covering right now. They believe that
messages of God’s judgment at the last day, along with fire that will burn
everything up, are just too harsh for spiritually sensitive ears. In an attempt to protect so-called sensitive
spiritual ears, as well as the desire not to drive visitors away from the
church, these churches and denominations downplay the judgment of Christ. Some of these churches are more concerned
with protecting the feelings of people in the pew than conveying the message of
Malachi.
With that said, do you want to
know a little secret? The message from Malachi is indeed too harsh for spiritually sensitive ears. As it should be. It will, indeed, make newcomers extremely
uncomfortable. It should make you want to tell your pastor to preach more
flowery and happy sermons. Indeed, the message
of Malachi is not politically correct, for it shows that Jesus is not just a
Savior that brings love (which He does) but a Savior that brings judgment as
well. Malachi displays to us that the
second coming of Jesus will bring heat – heat that many are incredibly
uncomfortable with because it makes us understand that Jesus is not a pushover
Messiah that we can easily manipulate.
And so, frankly stated, the
message of Malachi should alarm you. The message of Malachi should make you want
to hide behind your pews. It is intended
to wake you up. It is intended to make you fearful. It is intended to drive you
to look for security when that great Day of Judgment comes upon you and
me.
But didn’t we say that the
coming of Jesus at the great Judgment Day means two different things for two
different groups of people? Yes, we did.
Keep in mind that just as the
Lord’s Supper can bring forgiveness and judgment at the same time, the second
coming of Christ is both good news and bad news at the same time. You see, a person receives forgiveness of
sins when they receive the body and blood of Christ from the altar by faith. That is to say, when you approach the altar
with repentance, knowing that you are a sinner in need of grace, well… Jesus
meets you with his forgiveness. But if you approach the altar with arrogance,
self-righteousness, and apathy, well… the Lord will meet you at His table with
condemnation. The same Lord’s Supper
brings both forgiveness and condemnation.
And the same is true for the second coming of Christ.
And so, Malachi’s message is
to repent of our sins. We are to beat our chest with contrition with the news
of that great last day is approaching.
But notice how Malachi speaks of this great last day. He tells us that
it is coming, which means that we have time. And that time is right now to lift
our heads in the sanctuary and see the only one who can grant us security on
that last day.
You see, it is quite easy. To
be ready for the second coming of Christ, you must have the first coming of
Christ. To be ready to meet Jesus in judgment, you must first receive Jesus
with His forgiveness, life, and salvation
Dear Baptized Saints, you have
heard about the first coming of Jesus in our Advent services. You have heard
all year long about Jesus coming to humanity – in love - to offer Himself in
exchange for you at that cross. And you
have been receiving the benefits of his first coming in the Word and
Sacraments.
And so, you have the benefits
of the first coming that prepare you for His second coming.
Because of Jesus’ first
coming, the second coming of Jesus becomes a little less fearful. Well, actually a lot less fearful. Jesus will still come again to judge all
things; however, we know that He has already judged our sins on Calvary’s cross
and that He is a friend of sinners like you and me.
So the second coming for you
is not a day of fear, stress, or anxiety but a day of joy, anticipation, and
healing. You have the benefits of the
first coming of Jesus through the Word and Sacraments; therefore, you can know
with absolute assurance that you will meet Jesus at his second coming with a
smile and relief. Jesus’s birth in
Bethlehem, his scars of Mount Calvary, his baptism of you, and his body and
blood given to you, grant you the confidence to know that the second coming
will not be a day of judgment for you but a day where you will be fully healed
from all the sin and troubles that have plagued you in this life. It will be a
day that the weakness and the constant fallings and tears of your repentance
will be healed forever. They will be all
gone.
Without Jesus first coming, we
have only fear. But because of His first
coming, you will burst with energy, leaping like a calf that has just been let
out into the pasture when Christ comes again.
Thus, together, today, we can
say with confidence, not fear, “Come Lord Jesus, Come.”