God has set a day when everything comes to an end. When the story of man on earth reaches it's final and climactic conclusion. And when that day comes everything will stop-including the preaching of the gospel. At that moment everyone who rejected God's Word will be judged. All who decided in their hearts to set themselves up as most important and refused to honor God will be completely destroyed in the fire of God's wrath.

It sounds harsh, but in reality it's meant to bring us to our knees in humble repentance before God. When we realize that we cannot come to God on our own, that by our power we are lost, then we can look to God for help, and that's exactly what he does.

But first he wants us to stop and listen. And so he speaks hard words of judgment. These are words that wound our pride and send us sputtering into making excuses and justifications for our sins. But for some, hopefully you, they will recognize the futility of it all. They will see that God and God alone can help them. And that changes everything.

God's wants Judgment Day to be a day of rejoicing for everyone. He wants the sun of righteousness to rise on people's hearts. He wants to tell people that their sins have been washed away. He wants to declare before everyone that you have been declared not guilty for your sin.

It's a day that can begin right now. In his word, God tells you that Jesus lived and died for you. In his word, God tells you that everything that was broken in your life, he has fixed. He has given you a spiritual life where there was none before. And in the joy of that day, we look forward to the final day: The final day when Jesus will return and he will look at you and welcome you to your eternal home in heaven. That's a day worth waiting for.