I.  Absolutely Damned
II. Absolutely Blessed

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The picture below is of a fragment of the Shoemaker-Levy Comet striking the planet Jupiter in 1994.  The fireball at the lower left is about the size of Earth.  The bright spots are where the surface of the planet still glows after the strike of two other fragments of the comet.  What if it the comet fragments had hit Earth instead of Jupiter?  This could have been you.

What other reminders have we been given of our mortality and the fact that the earth will one day end? What other reminders do we need?  What would be enough of a jolt to awaken the world to the end of all things?

Luke records Jesus’ words of warning: Luke 21:25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.  Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

This warning is not given in wrath and anger, but in mercy, so that taking hold of Christ by faith we will be “able to stand before the Son of Man.”  Our Savior wants nothing so much as to have us be able to stand before Him bearing the righteousness that is ours by faith, and welcomed by Him into our heavenly home.

That being the case, we do well to ask ourselves, “What is truly most important in life?”  The answer surely is summed up in Jesus’ call to repent of our sinfulness, and to place our trust in Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation.

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1. Be Ready

2. As Those Appointed to Receive Salvation

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There are people who consider themselves wise who speak of an end of the world millions of years hence, when the sun burns out and grows cold and the earth circles in icy space before falling into the sun.

Others who consider themselves wise speak of catastro¬phe, perhaps of a comet striking the earth, or an asteroid, or the detona¬tion of much of the world’s nuclear arsenal at once, somehow bringing the end of mankind.

But all of this is very distant, very speculative, very conjectural — and therefore very comfortable. And it is all very much in contrast with our text which presents the end as it will be: Complete, total, sudden, unannounced, and soon.

Judgment does not await the death of a star – it only awaits the next heart attack, the next fatal traffic acci¬dent.

In every way, no man knows the day or the hour in which the Son of man comes.

These are not the kind of thoughts that make people comfortable. It is hard to conceive of something so final, so absolute, from which there is no change or turning back.

"Peace and Safety" is the cry instead — denial that the end is at hand, denial that we are vulnerable, that we are accountable to the living God. But the only real peace and safety is in our Lord Jesus Christ.

But we can really share THIS peace and safety, so it makes perfect sense that Paul concludes our text, Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

You are doing the right thing if you are edifying one another, building one another up in faith in Christ Jesus.  As the world looks in despair at the times in which we live, we point to the hope that we have in Christ – an everlasting hope assured by His redeeming work.

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