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Matthew chapter 16, I'll pick 
up reading in verse 13. When Jesus came into the region 
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do 
men say that I the Son of Man am? So they said, some say John 
the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the 
prophets. But he said to them, But who 
do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, 
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered 
and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is 
in heaven. They also say to you that you 
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates 
of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will 
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed 
in heaven.' Then he commanded his disciples that they should 
tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time, Jesus 
began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 
and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and 
scribes, and be killed and be raised the third day. Then Peter 
took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, 
Lord, this shall not happen to you. But he turned and said to 
Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me, for 
you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after 
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow 
me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever 
loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it 
to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange 
for his soul? For the Son of Man will come 
in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will 
reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, 
there are some standing here who shall not taste death till 
they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Amen. Let us 
pray. Our blessed God and our Holy 
Father, we thank you for the Word. We thank you for both the 
Old and the New Testaments. We thank you that they are given 
by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, 
and instruction in righteousness. And even now, Lord God, I pray 
that you would thoroughly furnish your people unto every good work. 
I pray, God, for those outside of Christ that today would be 
the day of salvation. As we look to the judgment to 
come, as we consider the reality that Christ will judge each according 
to his works, may terror and fear be promoted in hearts, and 
may as well the balm of Gilead be applied by the Spirit of God. 
We ask that you would do that great work which is impossible 
with men, Lord. We know you have all power and 
you are sovereign and glorious and able to save to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive 
us now for all of our sins and transgressions. Fill each and 
every one of us with Your Holy Spirit. Give us understanding 
into Your Word. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. That's not pointed the exact 
way. It blows my Bible pages and it makes it difficult to 
do. this. So let us look first at the context 
by way of reminder Jesus and his disciples go up into the 
region of Caesarea Philippi according to chapter 16 and verse 13. We remark that from this point 
on they will descend on into Jerusalem. They will make a long 
journey They will stop at places in Galilee, but the Galilean 
ministry is now over. The next stop for the Son of 
Man, specifically, is Jerusalem. He speaks to that in verse 21. 
The question concerning, who do men say that I am, or say 
that I, the Son of Man, am, is absolutely crucial. And Peter, 
of course, under the power of God's Blessed Spirit, confesses 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is 
the hope and the prayer and the desire that everyone would make 
this same confession, that they would be able to see Christ as 
the One promised by the Old Testament Scriptures, the One who has fulfilled 
all that the Father has given Him. He is the anointed of God, 
the powerful Messiah, the One alone who is able to save His 
people from their sins. And the means or the manner by 
which Jesus saves His people from their sins is specified 
in verse 21. Jesus says, or the Scripture 
says, from that time, Jesus began to show to His disciples that 
He must go to Jerusalem. He must suffer many things from 
the elders and the chief priests and the scribes. He must be killed 
and He must be raised the third day. Christ did not have a worldly 
kingship. He did not come in pomp and glory 
and splendor and power, but rather He came as a man of sorrows and 
one acquainted with grief. He was lowly. He was a servant. 
He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. He would accomplish 
His victory. He would accomplish His redemption 
of His people through suffering and through death and ultimately 
through resurrection from the cross. And at this particular 
time, Jesus then teaches his disciples concerning discipleship. If Christ suffered, if Christ 
bore the cross prior to the crown, then certainly that will be the 
case for God's people. This is the point in verses 24 
to 26. Jesus said to his disciples, 
if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself. and take up his cross and follow 
me." This is the essence. This is what it means to be a 
follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're saved freely by grace alone, 
through faith alone, and Christ alone. But when by God's grace 
we confess that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, we 
are then called to discipleship. We are then called to bear the 
cross We are there called to follow the Son of Man wherever 
He goes. Jesus indicates that He takes 
priority over this world. What shall it profit a man if 
he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will 
a man give in exchange for his soul? For those of you out here 
today, in this place today, that are living for the world, living 
for stuff, living for possessions, living for money, living for 
prestige, what will you give in exchange for your soul? If 
those things are your prize, if those things are the things 
that you value and adore and worship and serve, you will lose 
your life in the world to come. Christ takes priority over this 
world. Paul says in Galatians 6, I'm 
not ashamed of the cross of Christ. Let me just read the particular 
text. In Galatians 6.14, the Apostle 
makes this statement concerning the world. He says, "...God forbid 
that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Paul 
had a decisive break with the world. Those who, by the grace 
of God, believe on the Lord Jesus, have a decisive break with the 
world. If it's the world that you value, 
if it's the world that you prize, if it's the world that you are 
pursuing, according to our Lord's words, you will lose your soul 
in the age to come. This is the most terrifying reality. Christ takes priority over our 
own lives. If anyone desires to come after 
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow 
me. Christ takes priority over your life. Christ is everything. Christ is the pearl of great 
price. Christ is that exceeding blessed 
jewel of heaven. Christ is altogether lovely and 
chief among ten thousand. Christ is everything. And so 
the disciple of Christ happily takes up that cross and he follows 
the Master wherever the Master bids him go. And in this context 
concerning discipleship, Jesus points us to the future in order 
to consider this so that we'd have present encouragement. Notice 
in verse 27, for the Son of Man will come in the glory of his 
Father with his angels and then he will reward each according 
to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there 
are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see 
the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. I have a pastor friend, 
he lives in Vancouver. He says that ministers should 
never use the word eschatology in their preaching. I absolutely 
disagree with him. He probably wouldn't be very 
happy with this particular sermon title. The title is The Eschatological 
Incentive for Discipleship. Eschatological means eschatology, 
and eschatology simply means end times. It's pretty simple, 
isn't it? When you hear the word eschatology 
used this morning, You're supposed to think about those things connected 
to the very end. The word eschaton means end. It is the doctrine of, the study 
of, the knowledge of, or theory of what happens at the end. Certainly Christianity has answers 
for that. The Bible offers answers for 
the end. The Bible instructs us on how 
to prepare for that end. And one thing I want to assuredly 
remind you of all of you will indeed come to an end. And I 
believe what Christ is doing here in verses 27 and 28, specifically, 
He's directing the disciples to consider the second coming, 
the end of all things, as we might say in verse 27. the day 
of judgment, the day of reckoning, the day that all of us are heading 
to, the day that history is moving forward to. History has a beginning 
at the creation. History has a middle. God in 
his providence upholds all things by the word of his power. and 
history has an end, or it has a telos, or it has a purpose. 
We will all stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an 
account of deeds done in the body, whether good or ill. And 
what Christ is doing is He's using eschatology, the doctrine 
of the end times, to encourage His disciples to present faithfulness. I'm of the conviction that eschatology 
isn't given in the Bible simply to satisfy vain curiosity. or to have prophecy conferences 
and to put up maps and charts and try to trace the outworkings 
and try to identify several individuals as that man of sin or as the 
beast of revelation, saying that Henry Kissinger or Barack Obama 
or any of these men are the actual men that have the number of the 
beast. I don't believe that biblical 
eschatology is given just to satisfy carnal curiosity. It 
is given to promote holiness on the part of the people. It 
is given to promote hope on the part of the people. It is given 
to promote encouragement for the people of God. And it's given 
to those who are not the people of God to consider. You need 
to think about this. Right now you sit in a very nice 
building. You sit in a very nice environment. 
Everything's tidy. Everything's neat. Everything's 
pleasant. Except perhaps if you don't like the sound of my voice, 
everything is okay. There is a day coming when you 
will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, every single one in this 
room. It is appointed unto man to die 
once, and then comes judgment. Again, this is something not 
popular. We don't like to think beyond death. We don't like to 
consider that far in the future. We like to consider tomorrow. 
We like to consider next month. We like to consider a pay raise 
or a job change or, you know, a university setting. And we 
like to consider who it is we might marry. We don't like to 
consider things beyond the grave. The Bible teaches us that there 
is a beyond the grave. The Bible teaches us that there 
is a day coming. So as I understand this section, 
verse 27 speaks specifically to the second coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ at the end of history when He will come to judge the 
living and the dead and He will usher in the eternal state. I 
take verse 28 as a statement concerning the destruction of 
Jerusalem in A.D. 70. And I understand that will 
require a bit of conviction, convincing on my part. I hope 
to do that either this morning or God willing next week. But 
verse 27, the second coming of our Lord Jesus. Verse 28, the 
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. So we would say there are 
two eschatological incentives for discipleship here in verses 
27 and 28. The first is the day of judgment. Notice in verse 27, for the Son 
of Man will come in glory or in the glory of his Father with 
his angels and then he will reward each according to his works. 
Several observations on this first of all. As I said, I take 
it as a reference to the Second Coming of Christ. Several passages 
in the Bible indicate that this is the case. 2 Corinthians 5.10. 
Barney at least alluded to that this morning. 2 Corinthians 5.10. 
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according 
to what he has done, whether good or bad. You see, for the 
saint, for the believer, for the one in Christ, this is encouragement. Because we are in Christ. We 
are hidden in Him. We have found refuge in Him. 
But if you're not a believer this morning, you're going to 
stand to give an account for everything you've ever done in 
the body, whether good or evil. Are you prepared for that? The 
standard by which God brings men into judgment is the Word 
of God, specifically the commandments. Have you ever had other gods 
before God? Have you ever bowed before an 
idol? Have you ever blasphemed the holy name of the Lord? Have 
you ever broken the Sabbath day? Have you ever dishonored lawful 
authority? Have you ever murdered, if not 
physically, in your heart? Have you ever committed adultery, 
again, if not physically, in your heart? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever lied? Have you 
ever coveted? Well, you will give an account for these things 
on that day according to the Scriptures. You see why Christ 
is so blessed, Christ is so wonderful, Christ is altogether lovely and 
chief among 10,000. We run to Him, we find refuge 
in Him, we find cover in Him, we find forgiveness and the imputation 
of His righteousness so that we can stand before a thrice 
holy God and hear ultimately, well done, good and faithful 
servant. It's not because we're good, 
it's because our Savior is. It's not because we're faithful, 
it's because our Savior is. Christ is the one who protects 
on that day of judgment. As well, Revelation chapter 20, 
that great white throne judgment, verses 11 to 15. Then I saw a great white throne, 
and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven 
fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw 
the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another book was opened, 
which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according 
to their works by the things which are written in the books. 
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death in Hades 
delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged 
each one according to his works. Can I just ask you, are you ready 
for that? Are you prepared for that? Imagine if you blew through 
a red light and there happened to be a camera on the light. 
And it took a picture of you doing this. Would you be ready 
to stand before a judge and say, that wasn't me. I didn't do it. Whatever that police officer 
said is false, is wrong. You know they've got you. You 
know with high def and high resolution, that doesn't just mean you get 
to see sharper images on your own television. It means they 
have sharper images of you blowing through red lights. Are you prepared? Are you ready to stand before 
a judge and lie or assert your innocence when he has concrete, 
valid proof that you are the culprit? Are you ready to stand 
before Christ in judgment? Are you ready to give an account 
for deeds done in the body, whether good or evil? Notice specifically, 
and they were judged, each one according to his works. Have 
you kept the law of God perfectly? Have you kept the law of God 
perpetually? Have you kept it exactly? Have you kept it always? What are the two chief commandments? 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. 
And love your neighbor as yourself. How miserably do we fail both 
of those from the very second we open our eyes in the morning. 
Probably in our dream life, we aren't loving God the way we 
ought. We aren't loving our neighbors the way that we ought. You see, 
God doesn't say, I want you to do the best you can, Johnny. 
God doesn't say, I want you to do the best you can, little one. 
Just give it your all. No, God demands perfect, perpetual, 
exact, and entire obedience to his law. Again, the blessing 
of Christ. Christ did that. And by God's 
grace, those who look to Him in faith receive those benefits 
as their own. But are you ready to stand before 
the judgment in the Judgment Day? Then death and Hades were 
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, and 
anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the 
lake of fire. Going back to Matthew 16 for 
just a moment, well, for the rest of the time. Why does Jesus 
do this in verse 27? For the Son of Man will come 
in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will 
reward each according to his works. Why give this as an incentive 
to His disciples so that they will bear their cross, they will 
pursue Him, and they will resign themselves unto death if necessary? for the Lord of Glory. I think 
Calvin was right that the doctrine which had just been laid down 
may more deeply affect our minds Christ places before our eyes 
the future judgment and there is in this statement concerning 
the judgment to come a terror to the unrighteous A terror, 
something scary, something horrible, something that you don't want 
to face. Bruner in his commentary made 
this excellent observation. He says, the restoration of a 
responsible preaching of God's judgment will do wonders to the 
life of our churches. I amen that a hundred percent. 
It seems to me as long as I've been a Christian, just about 
every few years a new book comes out denying hell. And just about 
every few years, a new book comes out affirming hell, written to 
rebuff the claims of those who deny it. We don't like the concept 
of eternal punishment. We don't like the concept of 
accountability. We don't like the concept of 
being held to account for the things that we have done. We 
like to blame everybody else. We like to say, no, it wasn't 
me, or no, you don't understand, or you just don't get what it 
is to be a guy like me in a world like this. Brunner says, the 
restoration of a responsible preaching of God's judgment will 
do wonders to the life of our churches. Only where judgment 
is real is grace thrilling. Amen. If Jesus has only come 
to give you a better life in the here and now, what's amazing 
about that grace? If Jesus has only come so that 
you'll get promotions at work and you'll have happy, well-adjusted 
children now, what's amazing about grace? But if Jesus has 
come to live in obedience to the Father's law perfectly, exactly, 
perpetually, entirely, and Jesus on Calvary's cross has borne 
the fury, borne the wrath, borne the anger of His Father on behalf 
of His people, and in his death and in his resurrection secured 
eternal life for us, then I believe we can sing with the brother, 
amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like 
me. I once was lost, not unhappy, 
not less than stellar, not a little bit injured, but I once was lost, 
but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. Bruner's right. Only where judgment is real is 
grace thrilling. And then this statement, a loss 
of nerve and a capitulation to culture have cowed us into making 
Jesus a harmless moralizer rather than the Lion of Judah. That 
is precisely what's wrong with so much supposed evangelical 
preaching today. A helpless moralizer rather than 
the Lion of Judah. You think Jesus came to do what 
he did so that men could stand before pulpits and say, here's 
five principles on a happier tomorrow. Here's six tips on 
how to increase your productivity. Here's 15 principles on how to 
make sure no one goes nuts in your home. I'm not saying those 
are necessarily bad things. Do you know the task of Christian 
preachers? To make known the glorious gospel 
of Jesus Christ. In the recent happenings in Ferguson, 
Missouri, it just amazes me that everybody wants to know what 
the clergy has to say on a particular situation. Well, they actually 
had a clergyman on Fox News, Votie Bauckham, describing his 
particular take on it. The very end, he says, I'm not 
a politician. I'm a preacher. And the only 
hope is, thank you, Mr. Bauckham. We have to go to a 
commercial now. His task is to make known Christ. See, Fox News was smart enough 
to realize that, so they shift to a commercial break. Clergymen 
aren't supposed to be political pundits. Clergymen aren't supposed 
to be the hippest shakers in town. The minister of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ is to make known the Savior. It's to declare the 
gospel of free and sovereign grace. It is to testify there 
is a real hell coming for all those who continue in penitent. There is a real hell coming for 
those who continue in rebellion against the Lord God Most High. 
The loss of nerve and a capitulation to culture have cowed us into 
making Jesus a harmless moralizer rather than the Lion of Judah. 
He says only a return to Jesus' eschatological urgency will give 
his teaching its original bite." Bruner's right. Who'd have thunk? with reference to encouraging 
the disciples of Christ to bear their cross, to count Christ 
more precious than this world itself, he would say, I want 
you to consider the second coming. I want you to consider eschatology. I want you to consider the doctrine 
of the end times. I want you to consider what's 
going to happen when the Son of Man returns in His glory. 
This ought to be a terror to the unrighteous. It ought to 
promote hope and encouragement to the righteous. The context 
is one of discipleship, where the disciple of Christ is told 
to take up his cross daily and follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 
Again, as we have seen, taking up the cross daily in this context 
did not mean bearing with the difficulties in your life. We 
have redefined the cross of Christ. I have a difficult son. That's 
my cross to bear. I have a difficult wife. That's 
my cross to bear. I have a difficult work situation. 
That's my cross to bear. That's not the cross that Jesus 
is telling you to bear. The cross that Jesus is telling 
you to bear is a come, follow me, and die. It is to take up 
the cross and go to the hill of public execution and ignominy. It is to face the scoffing of 
men, the spittle of men, the slaps of men, the crown of thorns 
embedded in the head by men, to suffer all of that for the 
glory and for our allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. So 
in the context, the disciples are told to take up their cross 
and follow Me. Christ, in the context, is teaching 
them what is the case. The cross precedes the crown. We may want the crown without 
the cross, but it isn't supposed to be that way. The Son of Man 
must go to Jerusalem. The Son of Man must suffer many 
things. The Son of Man must die, and the Son of Man must be raised 
the third day. The Son of Man sets the paradigm 
for the disciple of Christ. It is cross and then crown. But you've got to understand 
it is cross and then crown. It's not cross and no crown. It's cross and crown. This is 
what Christ is saying to His children. Those who are in Him, 
those who by grace have believed the gospel, those who by grace have found 
refuge in Christ, those who by grace are safely folded in the 
arms of Jesus? What is their lot for eternity? It is the presence of God and 
the Lamb who sits upon the throne. This is a great incentive to 
discipleship. Brethren, carry the cross, slug 
it out, face the trials, deal with the difficulties, go through 
the problems. Because what stands in the future 
but a Christ with a crown, a Christ with heaven, a Christ with eternal 
life, a Christ with everything that anyone could ever desire? The Lord Jesus brings in or ushers 
in that place wherein God Himself will wipe away every tear from 
their eyes. A place where there shall be 
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more 
pain for the former things that passed away. It seems that we're 
weakly adding to our list of people that are afflicted physically. 
This world has sorrow. This world has trial. This world 
has difficulty. In a small church our list is 
growing of those who have perpetual illness, perpetual suffering, 
perpetual calamity and difficulty in the physical sense. What blessed 
promise and encouragement for them. I hope if they can't be 
here presently they're hearing this online. Look at what God 
says. We're coming to a place where 
he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Don't you love 
the intimacy of that? Is that what you parents do when 
your kid falls down and he scratches his knee or he cuts it open, 
he comes running in and he's gushing blood all over? You patch up the wound and then 
you wipe away the tears from his eyes. This speaks the intimacy 
of communion that we'll have with God. This is the foundational 
covenantal promise. I will be their God and they 
shall be my people. It says a place where there shall 
be no more death. We've all lost loved ones. We 
all have that grief. We all have that trial. But what 
does it tell us concerning the eschaton? What does eschatology 
teach? We're moving to a place where 
there is no more death. It says, nor sorrow, nor crying, 
there shall be no more pain for the former things have passed 
away. And consider our context in light of situations outside 
of our local context. What about Asia Bibi? What about 
Saeed Abedidi? What about the multitudes of 
others that are tried and persecuted and sorrowing and suffering, 
who are daily called to carry the cross unto death? Yes, Asia 
is not with her family. She faces execution for blasphemy 
in a Muslim country. That's what it means to bear 
the cross. That's what it means to suffer unto death for the 
Lord Jesus. That is a legitimate application 
of 2 Timothy 3.12. All who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. How do you think this would encourage 
their hearts? You mean there's a day coming when Christ will 
come in glory with the glory of His Father, with all of His 
angels, and He will render to each one according to His works? 
And by grace I'm safely folded under His arms? By grace I'm 
found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the 
law, but that righteousness which is from God through faith in 
Christ? You mean He's going to take me into His eternal presence? You see how it serves as an incentive? 
You see, believer, how eschatology ought to help you daily? You 
see how the future judgment of all men is an encouragement to 
the people of God? Notice, He not only speaks to 
the fact of His second coming. For the Son of Man will come. 
Notice, He speaks of the attendant glory. He will come in the glory 
of His Father with His angels. What is the significance here? What is the importance of this 
reference here? Let's go back for just a moment 
to verse 21. From that time Jesus began to 
show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer 
many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and 
be killed and be raised the third day. This statement about his 
coming with the attendant glory of his father and with his angels 
confirms verse 21. What's going to happen when they 
make the descent from Caesarea Philippi and they get into Jerusalem? There will be a triumphal entry. 
There will be people praising Jesus Christ. There will be that 
pomp and show until Jesus starts to engage them in teaching and 
preaching. And then there's mounting opposition, rising opposition 
that culminates in His brutal suffering and in His death. When 
the disciples will see Him in that state, What might be tempted 
to well up in them? He's not who He claimed to be. 
He's not the Messiah. Or if he is, we certainly didn't 
see this coming. It's not the point of verse 20? 
Jesus says, commands his disciples that they should tell no one 
that Jesus was the Christ. Does that mean Jesus doesn't 
want us to do gospel preaching? No, it means that his own disciples 
didn't understand it at this particular point. This is why 
he has to say to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are an offense 
to me. You're not thinking God's thoughts, 
you're thinking man's thoughts. They would see the Savior bloodied, 
battered, beaten, bruised. They would see gore. They would 
see mockery. They would see shame. They would 
see contempt. They would see the Son of God 
hung on the cross naked. So when He says to them, for 
the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father. Don't forget 
that the self-same Son of Man who must go to Jerusalem, who 
must suffer many things, who must be killed, is the self-same 
Son of Man that must be raised on the third day. And that suffering 
and death ultimately leads to glory, and exaltation, and rule, 
and reign, and kingship, and authority. And Jesus says He 
will come in the glory of His Father. It's interesting, He 
says, with His angels. The His there is not the Father's 
angels. Or the His, rather, refers to 
the Lord Jesus. They are His possession. So He 
is equating Himself, He is putting Himself on par, He is asserting 
His deity with His Father. The Lord Christ says there will 
be attendant glory when He comes to judge the living and the dead. 
And then notice what He says in terms of describing the judgment 
of each man. For the Son of Man will come 
in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will 
reward each according to his works. Now if you've been in 
this church for any amount of time, if you've attended our 
Sunday school, if you've, I mean, paid attention, half of a half 
of a half percent, you'll know that we are, at least we pursue 
being, faithful Protestants. That means we affirm justification 
is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. We realize that there is none 
righteous, no, not one. We realize that all have sinned 
and fall short of the glory of God. We realize that we like 
sheep have gone astray. There is not a one of us that 
can earn our way to heaven. There is not a one of us who 
can do the works of God in such a way that He'll say, good for 
you, here's your crown. We are miserable sinners, each 
and every one. The only hope The only way of 
salvation is, by grace, God working in initiative. God's sovereignty. God giving us the gifts of faith 
and repentance so that we may come to the Lord Jesus Christ. 
It's only that way. Notice what Christ says. He says, 
and then he will reward each according to his works. I would 
affirm with the confessions of the reformed churches that the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone is not at odds with 
the judgment according to works. Now listen, for just a moment, 
our confession of faith says that good works are the fruits 
and evidences of a true and lively faith. So if Jesus rewards each 
according to his works, those works are the fruits and evidences 
of a what? Of a true and lively faith. There 
is no competition between justification by faith and a judgment based 
on works. There's no competition whatsoever. Calvin says in his commentary 
on John 529, good works are not the cause or means of salvation 
but merely distinguishes the elect from the reprobate by their 
own mark. Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, 
in Matthew 7.16, how does Jesus say that you'll know the tree? By the fruit that it bears. You 
see an apple tree, you expect apples. When it yields apple 
trees, you make the right conclusion. You don't even have to be a botanist 
for this one. It must be an apple tree. When Jesus judges men according 
to works on that great day, it manifests, it evidences a true 
and lively faith. Listen to C.H. Spurgeon. He says, 
"...the righteous shall through divine grace have their works 
taken as evidence of their love to God." You see, there's no 
competition. A judgment according to works 
ought not to cause us to go into a tailspin and say, well, what 
about salvation by grace through faith? There's harmony in the 
scripture. Spurgeon, the righteous shall 
through divine grace have their works taken as evidence of their 
love to God, and the wicked shall with justice have their doom 
appointed according to their works, because these works will 
be evidence that they had not the faith which produces good 
works. I hope everybody appreciates 
this. John Gill indicates that good works are proofs and evidences 
of true faith in the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ. So what we find in our Lord's 
teaching, specifically in verse 27, is that there is a day coming 
when every wrong will be righted. when every righteous one will 
enter in to the joy of heaven. And everyone who has opposed 
our God, everyone who in the language of Psalm 2, as Pastor 
Porter read at the outset of worship, stands before God and 
opposes Him and His Christ, they will be cast away from the presence 
of the Lord into a conscious eternal punishment in a place 
the Bible says is hell. This is the incentive for Christian 
discipleship. This is why you need to be about 
cross-bearing. This is why you pick it up daily. 
This is why you follow the Lamb wherever He says to go. This 
is why you don't question. This is why you don't argue. 
This is why you don't murmur. This is why you don't grumble. 
This is certainly why you don't complain. You follow the Lamb 
of God. He will hold out a crown to those 
who have loved disappearing, according to Paul in 2 Timothy 
4. But to those who have despised, to those who have rejected, to 
those who have spat in the face of the Savior, they will be cast 
away. This is an incentive for Christian 
discipleship. As I said, verse 28 points to 
the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Because I believe 
this needs to be proven, hopefully beyond a shadow of a doubt, we'll 
save it for next week. But I think the sense is this. 
The Second Coming is a reality. Jesus will come, the glory of 
his Father, with his angels, to reward each according to his 
works. He then tells the disciples, 
specifically the apostles, "...Assuredly, I say to you, there are some 
standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of 
Man coming in his kingdom." The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 
70 was a manifestation or an evidence that Christ the Lord 
was enthroned at the right hand of God Most High and He brought 
judgment to bear upon covenant breakers. This was the sign of 
His coming. This was the evidence of His 
kingdom. This was manifest proof. And 
in context, I think the argument is this. If this historical application 
of the judgment of Christ, then the eschatological application 
of the judgment of Christ. In other words, and hear me, 
since Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, that affirms, confirms, 
points to, underscores, highlights, boldfaces, italicizes, you see 
I've been doing some editing this week, the fact that you 
will stand before Jesus Christ to give an account of deeds done 
in the body, whether good In conclusion, this section, 
this statement concerning eschatology rounds out what we would call 
Christology. You're getting a lot of ologies 
this morning, but I trust that if we define them, you don't 
freak out. It's an amazing thing to me. People say, well, you 
shouldn't use those big words in the church. I like to know 
that my doctor and my lawyer and my mechanic has a way to 
communicate truth to me. And if he's kind enough to explain 
those terms, I'm very appreciative. If he's not kind enough to explain 
those terms, I'm thankful for Google. What did the doctor mean 
by that? Google it. We have a generation 
of children that probably don't know what a dictionary or an 
encyclopedia is, but they know what Google is. You see, theology, the scripture, 
biblical interpretation. There are some words that you 
should really learn. You know, today it's all that 
preacher. He's so confusing. He uses all those big words. 
Get a dictionary. Google these big words. Even 
Google covers theological words. It's an amazing thing. There's 
even a theopedia. There's a Wikipedia for all things 
not theology, and there's a theopedia for things theological. Note 
the Christology rounded out in this statement concerning the 
Second Coming. We have his person work identified 
clearly in chapter 16 at verse 21. I'm sorry, at verse 16. You are the Christ, the Son of 
the Living God. That is the person of Jesus. 
That is who He is, the Anointed of God, the Messiah of God, the 
Christ of God. He is the Son of the Living God. 
This harkens back to 2 Samuel. chapter 7. There's a clear statement 
in Psalm 2 again that Pastor Porter read. 2 Samuel 7, God 
promises to David that a son will rise from his seed. A son 
will sit enthroned upon his throne. A son will build the house of 
God and the son's kingdom will have no end. When Peter declares, 
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, he is bringing 
together much biblical truth. This is why Jesus says, Blessed 
are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. This is a good thing, not a bad 
thing. You've made a good confession. 
But you didn't get this on your own. Flesh and blood didn't reveal 
this, but my Father who is in heaven gave you this. We see 
his person in this chapter. We see as well his work, verse 
21, according to the promise in Genesis 3.15. How does the 
promise seed of the woman render the death blow to the serpent? 
He does it by crushing his head. In the midst of that head-crushing 
exercise, the son of man himself suffers a bruised heel. Comparatively, 
crushed head, bruised heel, Christ is the decisive winner. But that 
the Son of Man will suffer is indicated as early as the promise 
in the garden in Genesis 3. It's fleshed out, it's illustrated, 
it's spoken to prophetically in Isaiah 53. Have you ever read 
Isaiah 53 and you see that reference to his stripes? Or you read the 
Psalter and you stop in Psalm 22 and you muse on the fact that 
they're talking about crucifixion, it's applied to Christ, it's 
written several centuries before the life of Christ. Or you read 
Daniel the prophet in chapter 9 concerning the 70 weeks and 
Messiah is what? He's cut off. He is cut off. Never should it have been the 
case that Messiah has cut off from the people. It should have 
been the case they bowed to Him. It should have been the case 
that they worshipped Him. It should have been the case 
that they received Him gladly. But because of men's hardness 
of heart, because of their sinfulness, Christ came to His own, and His 
own received Him not. So they cut Him off. They send 
Him to the cross. You see, this is vital in Christian 
preaching. This is vital in Christian discipleship, 
that we know who Jesus is in His person. You should know that 
He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You should know 
that He is the prophet, priest, and king to His church. You should 
know His states of humiliation and exaltation. You should know 
His pre-incarnate glory. You should know concerning the 
Christ, the person, the glory, the magnificence of this One, 
who is God's Son. who is one glorious person with 
two natures, even deity and humanity. You ought to know something of 
that. Well, you need to know the cross. 
You need to know about atonement. You need to know what verse 21 
actually means. You need to understand substitution. 
You need to understand that at the heart of atonement, the idea 
of satisfaction is there. Christ, by His sufferings, satisfies 
divine justice for His people. But then look how the narrative, 
as it were, is rounded out. His person, His work, His royal 
authority. He's the King. He's the King 
of kings and He is the Lord of lords. He is the judge of all 
the earth. You can turn to John 5 for just 
a moment to see this stated in another place. John 5, specifically 
at verse 22. Verse 21, For as the father raises 
the dead and gives life to them, even so the son gives life to 
whom he will. For the father judges no one, 
but has committed all judgment to the son, that all should honor 
the son just as they honor the father. He who does not honor 
the son does not honor the father who sent him. And then dropping 
down to verse 27, and has given him authority to execute judgment 
also, because he is the Son of Man." Acts 17 and verse 31. Acts 17 and verse 31, Paul's 
declaration concerning the Christian message at the Areopagus. He's speaking to Stoic and Epicurean 
philosophers. They wonder who this Jesus in 
the resurrection is that Paul preaches. So Paul goes up to 
the men of Athens and he speaks the truth concerning the glorious 
context the gospel finds its significance in. And then he 
summarizes in verse 30 with a call to repentance. He says, "...truly 
these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands 
all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day 
on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom 
He has ordained. He has given assurance of this 
to all by raising him from the dead." Those old-timers in our 
church will know that oftentimes around Resurrection Sunday, which 
is actually every Lord's Day, we're supposed to have 52 holidays 
in a month, and those alone. But around that time when men 
typically call it Easter, you get non-church people come to 
church, don't they? You get the little girls with 
their new bonnets, The boys with their bow ties, or dickie bows 
as they call them in England. Kind of a funny way to refer 
to a little tie. And I've often mused that that 
empty tomb assures us of a coming judgment. I doubt that non-church 
people say to little whatever her name is, put your bonnet 
on. This is a great reminder today that we're going to stand 
before Jesus and be judged. Put your dickie bow on and remember 
the Lord is coming again in the glory of His Father with His 
angels to judge you for every time you have misspoke. For every 
time you have lied, every time you have cheated, every time 
you have stolen, you will give an account before our Lord. But 
isn't this what Paul says? Paul is called up on the Areopagus 
to explain Jesus and the Resurrection. Notice what Paul does not do. 
He does not say to these Stoics and Epicureans, hey, I want to 
give you 15 reasons why you ought to believe the Resurrection. 
He assumes the Resurrection. He presupposes the Resurrection. And he uses the Resurrection 
as a proof or an evidence that the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers 
will stand before this Jesus in judgment to come. Do not fool 
yourselves. Do not delude yourself. You may 
beat the judge. If they have a picture of you 
running the red light, you could possibly conceivably plead not 
guilty by reason of insanity. And as batty as the courts are 
today, they might throw your case out. You may escape the 
judgment of men, but no one escapes the judgment of the Son of Man. This is the point of the passage. This is an encouragement to the 
believer. This is a terror to the unbeliever. Specifically, with reference 
to believer, this ought to fortify you in the midst of trials and 
sufferings, in the midst of persecutions and distress, in the midst of 
heartache and woe and agony. What is the smiling face that 
God Most High oftentimes hides behind that dark cloud? It is the reality that I'll be 
with Him. It is the pleasant reminder that 
I'm gonna be with Jesus. I am gonna have no more sorrow. 
I am gonna have no more tears. I am gonna have no more pain 
or suffering. I'm gonna be in the presence 
of my Redeemer. Shouldn't this promote a skip in our step? We don't think enough about heaven. 
Maybe you all do, but I gotta confess I don't. I need to. I need to think about the second 
coming in terms of the encouragement it affords to the people of God. 
As well, it produces hope in the believer and in the church. 
Produces hope, it steals the soul in the times of difficulty. It is the reality that God Most 
High sees, that God Most High will judge, that God Most High 
will right every wrong that promotes hope. If you've been wronged 
in this world, if you have been wrongly accused, if you have 
been wrongly represented, if you have been wrongly imprisoned, 
if you have been wrongly jailed, if you have been wrongly treated, 
you know there is a day coming when that wrong will be righted. 
This is Paul's point in 2 Thessalonians 1. It is right with God to afflict 
those who afflict you. We've got to be more like God 
and appreciate His justice, and His righteousness, and the execution 
of judgment. And then thirdly, the second 
coming of our Lord ought to promote holiness in the life of the believer. 
Turn to 1 John chapter 3. 1st John chapter 3, verse 1, Behold what manner of 
love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called 
children of God. Great. John's worshiping here. John's praising. John's adoring. Behold what manner of love Behold 
what character of love, behold what type of love that has been 
bestowed on us, that we sinners, we rebels, we straying sheep, 
We, mutinous persons against the authority of God, should 
be called children of God. Therefore the world does not 
know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children 
of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But 
we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we 
shall see Him as He is." Isn't that beautiful? Christ is coming. He will come. We shall be like 
Him. We shall see Him as He is. Now 
note the implication, and everyone who has this hope in him purifies 
himself just as he is pure. See, a pursuit of biblical eschatology 
ought not to promote pride, it ought not to promote arrogance, 
it ought not to promote a certainty with reference to the identification 
of the man of sin or the beast of revelation. Now certainly 
we can have convictions about those things. Certainly we can 
have debates about those things, but arrogance and pride and an 
offensive tone, that's not what eschatology is supposed to promote. 
It's supposed to promote a pursuit of holiness. Everyone who has 
this hope does what? Holds prophecy conferences? Sells 
his DVD set for $39.95? As ProphecyDeal.com, log in, 
put your user code and download the newest statement concerning 
whatever things are happening in the world and how they relate 
to Matthew 16, 27. Now everyone who has this open 
imp purifies himself just as he is pure. And for the unbeliever, eschatology is a promise, or 
rather the day of judgment is a promised reality. It is promised. You know, having done this study 
over the last several months associated with ARBCA on divine 
impassibility, which is a subset of divine immutability, essentially 
it means that God does not change. God cannot change, and therefore 
God is not an emotional wreck. There is no internal conflict 
with God. There's nothing outside of God 
that causes Him to be in straits. One of the texts that we allude 
to in that work, no wrinkle upon the brow of eternity, is Hebrews 
6. There in the book of Hebrews 
chapter 6, in fact you can turn there because I want unbelievers 
to see that this judgment promised by our Lord in Matthew 16 is a promised reality. Notice in 
Hebrews 6.16, for men indeed swear by the greater and an oath 
for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, 
determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability 
of his counsel, that means it's unchangeable, It's not one thing 
one day and another thing the other day. It says he confirmed 
it by an oath, that by two immutable or unchangeable things in which 
it is impossible for God to lie. We might have strong consolation 
who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." 
Now, the context is one of encouragement to the believer. The context 
is one of assurance and hope for the believer. He references 
the anchor. You know, in early Christian 
symbolism, it was an anchor that was often used by the Christians. 
There was one catacomb called Priscilla that had 66 inscriptions 
on a wall of the anchor. Early Christian symbolism was 
an anchor. What does that indicate? Their 
souls were anchored to God. And in that, they had hope and 
assurance and comfort. But if you're not a Christian 
here, I want you to see that it's impossible with God to lie. 
He can't do it! It would be a denial of His being. 
He is the Lord God of truth. For Him to lie would be for Him 
to deny Himself, and He can't do that. So when Jesus promises 
a certainty of coming again in glory to judge the living and 
the dead, it's a reality. As well, the Day of Judgment 
is a terrible reality. Have you ever been in a situation, 
maybe you haven't, But someday you might be, where you've been 
called upon to be honest about your life. You know, sometimes 
this happens to people who have problems with drinking, or people 
who have problems with drugs, or people who have problems with 
pornography. They finally cry out for help. 
And typically those who help have to know what's going on. 
What are we dealing with? Is it one beer a day? Is it, 
you know, one hit of crack a day? What is it? Is it one click once 
a week when you look at that porn site? What is it? If you 
really want help, you start to cough it up. You start to vomit 
it out. You start to actually say what 
your case looks like. I'm indebted or I'm enslaved 
to my computer because of pornography. Imagine how that is when testifying 
to someone else. that shares many of the same 
infirmities that you do, struggles perhaps resisting those same 
sorts of things. You're going to have to give 
an account for everything. I can't even conceptualize it. 
I don't know about the logistics. I don't know how it's all going 
to work. But this much I do know. He will reward each one according 
to his works. Let's just take drink, let's 
take crack, let's take porn." You prepared to stand before 
the Lord God Most High and explain to Him what you did, not only 
this morning, but every morning of your life, every day that 
you've been alive, every act of rebellion against Him, every 
word, every thought, every deed. See, I don't think some of you 
have reckoned with this. I don't think some of you are 
even tracking right now. Because I think if you were, 
and you were outside of Christ, you'd be hanging on my words 
to find out if there's hope for you. He would be sitting there 
earnestly, waiting, eagerly. He's got to tell me the way of 
escape. He's got to tell me how I prepare for that day. He's 
got to tell me how I can stand before the Lord Jesus Christ 
when He comes in the glory of His Father with His angels to 
reward me according to my works. Am I doomed? Is hell my lot? Is that my eternity? Is that 
place of conscious punishment and torment mine forever and 
ever? Here's the word of encouragement. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. The gospel of Christ is the answer. The blood of Jesus Christ, His 
Son, cleanses us from all sin, John says. It is the righteousness 
of Christ that sinners desperately need in order to stand before 
the Lord God Most High. And that righteousness of Christ 
is available only through the grace of God, faith in Christ, 
according to the gospel as revealed in the Holy Scripture. If you 
reject that, if you continue in unbelief, if you continue 
to hold your fist up to heaven, if you continue to say, we will 
not have this man to reign over us, then be assured, on that 
day, when you render up every word, or every excuse, or every 
answer for everything you've done, you will hear the most 
accursed words ever uttered by anyone in this universe. When 
Jesus Christ says, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting 
fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. This ain't 
preacher talk, this is scripture. This is what the Bible says. 
This is certainly according to the God who cannot lie. Belief. Turn from your sins. Cast yourself upon the mercy 
of Christ Jesus the Lord, who has promised, that all that the 
Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to 
me I will certainly not cast out. Believe. The Bible says 
you will be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the Word of God and thank you for its clarity on these matters 
concerning the end. I pray that you would prepare 
each heart here to stand before God most high in judgment. Prepare 
each of us, not because we go out and do good things, but because 
by your grace we look to an excellent Savior. May you be merciful today 
to both young and old. May today be the day of salvation. 
May you indeed call sinners out of darkness into marvelous light. 
May they confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord God Almighty, that 
He is the Son of the living God, that He is the one who died and 
rose again so that sinners might have everlasting life. And for 
the people of God, encourage our hearts and strengthen us 
and help us to daily bear the cross, looking forward to that 
crown that you have promised to give to your people. Go with 
us now, we pray, in Jesus' holy name. Amen.