We’re close to death and eternity
If we don't believe that fearful judgement is coming our way, why wouldn't our sermons and Bible studies be reduced to friendly chats, jokes and heart-warming stories? The Puritans, those biblical preachers in the 16th century and onwards, took a different view, and preached with astonishing impact about the ‘last things’. Iain Murray says that “They viewed every hearer as bound shortly for another world, and it may be questioned whether any other school of evangelical preachers have so brought the implications of eternity home to men's consciences as they were enabled to do” (The Puritan Hope, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1975, p. 211).
Belief in final judgement is grounded in the truth of Jesus' resurrection since if he didn't rise from the dead, we hardly need to fear or hope for his return. The resurrection is what gives Paul's preaching its sharpness in his speech at the Areopagus in Athens. So both the Bible and the history of biblical preaching should cause us to see both ourselves and our hearers in the light of the return of our risen Lord.