Thank you very much, Paul.
As it has already been said, my name is Alistair.
I have the privilege of being on staff here and it is great to see you all this morning.
Now, as Paul read that passage, you were probably thinking,
wow, that's a lovely topic to think about this morning.
But I would encourage you and say that it is a lovely topic for us to think about this morning.
But before we do that, let's pray together. Let's pray.
Amen.
Loving God and Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning acknowledging that we are weak human beings.
But we come before you the glorious, magnificent God.
And we ask that you teach us from your word.
Holy Spirit, we ask that you would transform our hearts.
And Jesus, we pray that we would leave here glorifying you in all we do and say.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
We all love a good, happy ending, don't we?
When you come to the end of a good book or a movie,
and you just love it when you know that everything turned out okay.
We know how much we like happy endings because if a book or a movie doesn't end the way we want it to,
or if it ends on a cliffhanger, we feel disappointed.
Maybe feel a bit short-changed.
We might even be looking for the return policy.
We love a good, happy ending.
But how would it change the way we read a book or watch a movie if we already knew the end?
What if you opened the first page or watched the first movie of, for example, Lord of the Rings?
Now, spoiler alert if you haven't watched Lord of the Rings.
If you opened that first page or watched that first movie and you knew that in the end, after three books and three movies,
Frodo was going to drop the ring into a volcano and end all destruction,
you'd probably read it a bit differently, wouldn't you?
So if Frodo got into a battle or in a dangerous situation and he was fearing for his life,
you'd have the thought in the back of your mind, well, he's going to be all right in the end.
It doesn't matter.
I don't have to worry too much.
It wouldn't have the same effect.
Knowing the end changes the way you read the book.
If we were to know the end of every story or scenario in this world today, would it change the way we live?
If you were to know the end of your own story, would it change the way you live?
As we've been traveling through the book of Joel on Sunday mornings,
we've been seeing the story of the Old Testament people of God.
They'd rebelled against God and lived in sin.
And God sent a locust plague in Joel chapter 1 to bring them back to himself.
And the big message that God is speaking out to his people is,
return to me.
God is saying, come back into a faithful covenant relationship with me
and I will bless you and I will protect you.
Do not continue in your sin, but return to me and repent.
That is what God is saying.
And this morning in Joel chapter 3, we get an insight into the end of the story.
And the question that I want us to think about this morning is,
are you living in light of the end?
This morning we get to flick to the very last page of the book that we call Life on Earth
and see what that will be like.
Now remember how Joel has been pointing through this whole little book
to the future day of the Lord.
The day when God will right all wrongs.
When God will sit and judge the world.
And in Joel chapter 3, we're told what the end of this world will look like.
And it's all in the context of a valley.
In verse 14,
the end is described,
the final day of the Lord is described as a valley of decision.
And the decision on that final day is made by God.
And it will determine whether God is your refuge
or whether God is your judge.
The language that this passage uses points
to the idea that God is a judge who sits on a throne
and the whole world is in the dock on trial.
And the verdict will come from this judge.
God decides the fate of this world based on their actions
and on their response to him.
He is the one who presides over this valley of decision.
And this morning we see what God says to the nations
and what God says to his people on that final day.
So the first thing,
what God says to the nations,
verses 1 to 16a,
what God says to the nations.
In verse 1,
you can see that God is speaking about a future day
when Judah and Jerusalem will be restored.
This is the future event known in the book of Joel
as the day of the Lord.
This event has not yet happened.
It is still to come.
And on that day,
God will gather all the nations
in the valley of Jehoshaphat,
which means the valley of God's judgment.
All the nations will stand before God
as he sits on his throne and he will judge.
God will deliver his verdict on the nations.
And the announcement of a trial where God will judge
leads to a list of charges that have been committed.
Verses 2 and 3,
we see what the nations are being judged for.
They're being judged for how they treated God's people.
The evidence is brought before the judge.
These nations scattered God's people.
They divided up God's promised land
and traded them as if they were household ornaments.
The crimes that the nations are on trial for
have been committed against God's people
and therefore they have been committed against God himself.
And in the end of verse 3,
do you see how God draws attention
to how the nations have treated children?
These little ones who are a picture of innocence,
the weakest of God's people,
the most defenseless of this nation,
are being traded for cheap pleasures.
Little boys are traded for the price of a prostitute.
Little girls are being traded for the price of a glass of wine.
The nations are putting their own pleasure
above the care and needs of children.
And God uses this as an example of their sin.
Their complete apathy against God.
But why does this matter?
Why does it matter that the nations have done this?
This was common practice in that day
amongst enemy nations.
So why should the people of God be treated any differently?
Well the key is in verses 2 and 3,
God says the word my five times.
These are not just any people God says,
but they are my inheritance,
my people Israel,
my people,
my land,
my people.
What the nations have done against Israel,
they have done against God himself.
The sins of the nations are how they treated
and dealt with God's people
because they bear his name.
They are his representatives on earth.
And what the nations have done against them,
they've done against God.
Now we get this idea,
don't we?
Historically,
this has been true for years and years,
even in medieval Britain.
If you were to attack a soldier
or a god of the king,
it would be seen as a direct attack
on the king himself.
And we see this in the New Testament.
As Saul on the road to Damascus,
Jesus appears to him in Acts chapter 9.
You can look that up later.
Jesus appears to Saul
and what does he say?
Saul, Saul,
why are you persecuting my church?
No.
He says,
Saul, Saul,
why are you persecuting me?
That's the same idea here.
The identity of the church
is bound up with its head,
Jesus Christ.
And Israel's identity
is bound up with God.
The people of Israel
bear the name of God
and the attacks on them
are a result of the nation's hatred of God.
Their actions reveal
their sinful hearts.
It is all an outward example
of their attitude towards God.
And in verse 4,
God says that he will repay them
according to their deeds.
Now some have said
that God's judgment
and justice is harsh
or unjustified.
But looking at the charges
that he brings against the nations,
looking at their actions
and the punishment
that God deems fit,
I don't think that anyone
can say God's judgment is harsh.
Because God's judgment
is simply him
returning on their own heads
what they have done to him.
He is giving them over
to their sin.
The nations that are mentioned
in this passage,
I think,
are representatives
of all the enemies of God.
And they will be brought
before the Lord
on that final day
and they will be judged.
The nations
are called to war,
called to gather
their armies,
called to turn
their farming tools
into weapons
and fight.
Now the nations,
as they hear this message,
they're probably thinking
that they're going to go
and fight against
the Lord himself.
Have a good old army
against army.
But they're being called
to come to this valley
and to listen.
Listen to the verdict
that will be delivered
from the throne
as God sits
and delivers
his verdict
on the valley
of Jehoshaphat,
the valley
of God's judgment.
And verse 14,
multitudes,
multitudes have gathered
in the valley
of decision,
but the decision
in question
is not theirs
to make.
It is God
who will make
the decision
concerning their future.
These multitudes
have not gathered
to make a decision,
but they've gathered
to hear one.
And in verse 15
to 16,
you can see
the universality
of this judgment.
It will not go
unnoticed.
Everybody will know
what is happening.
The sun and moon
will be darkened
as God's verdict
rings out across
the valley
of decision.
The Lord will roar
from Zion
and thunder
from Jerusalem.
The earth
will tremble
as the voice
of the Lord
declares
his destruction
on the nations
for their deeds
against his people.
Sabina,
my wife,
and I
just spent
four days
in the mountains
hiking in Austria.
And every day
there was a thunderstorm
and we were unlucky
and one day
we got caught
on the mountainside
in this huge thunderstorm.
storm.
And as we walked
in the rain
you could hear
every single
footstep you made.
You could hear
all the birds
in the trees
trying to find
that one dry spot
that was left.
Every living thing
on the mountainside
was looking
for refuge
from this storm.
It was loud
but there was
only one
thing that could
cover all of that
noise
and that was
the thunder.
As soon as you
heard the thunder
everything else
was drowned out.
And as we
walked together
we were saying
how this thunder
makes us think
about the greatness
of God
and his might.
Hearing that
made us praise
God.
And that's just
normal thunder.
But I think
the poetic language
that Joel
is using here
is pointing us
to see that thunder
gets your attention.
And it's
God's thunder
so it's not
just going to
be a little
crackling in the sky.
This is a thunder
which will shake
the very foundation
of the earth.
And hearing
such a thunder
will either
make you fear
God
or it will
comfort you
because you know
that he is
your heavenly father.
The day of the
Lord has not
happened yet.
It is a future
event for us
today.
And so think
back to that
question we
started with.
Are you living
in light
of the end?
The end
of the story
for the nations
for the enemies
of God
is that they
will be judged.
God will
sit on his
throne
and deliver
his verdict
of guilty.
And he will
punish them
in a just
and right way.
This has a
significant meaning
for you this
morning if you
are here and
you are not
a Christian.
God will
gather the whole
world before
his throne
and his
verdict will
be given
and punishment
will come on
those who
have rejected
God.
Are you
living in
light of that
end?
Take time
today to
think about
what God's
verdict will
be over your
life as you
stand today.
Will you take
time to consider
how you
stand before
God?
How if you
are not
you are
rejecting
God?
Think about
it.
Every person
naturally
stands guilty
before God.
Each of us
naturally
rejects God.
We want to
live lives
our own way
according to
what we see
fit.
But that life
will lead us
to rejecting
God and
being given
the verdict of
guilty on
that final
day.
And for
Christians this
morning,
God through
the prophet
Joel is
calling Israel
to proclaim
to the
nations that
this is the
future that
awaits them.
Do we do
that?
Do we
proclaim to
the world
that this is
the end
that is
coming?
Do we
warn them
that one
day God
will make
a decision
about their
lives?
this is
part of
the message
that we've
been given
to proclaim
to the
world.
This is
the message
that they
need to
hear because
God will
decide and
he can either
deliver punishment
or he can
be a refuge.
In this
short book of
Joel the
message that
God has
been crying
out to his
people is
return to
me, repent
and I'll
take you
back.
The message
that Jesus
preached in
the New
Testament is
repent and
believe because
the kingdom
of God is
at hand.
That is the
message we
have to
proclaim to
the world.
Are we
living in
light of
the end?
Are we
proclaiming that
there is an
end and it
is coming?
We don't
know when
but it
is coming.
But there
is still time
to repent
and turn to
God even
now.
the second
thing that
this passage
says is
what God
says to
his people
verses 16b
to verse 21
what God
says to
his people.
Now the
Lord will be
a refuge for
his people,
a stronghold
for his people
Israel.
That is an
amazing truth.
In their day
of calamity,
in their times
of suffering,
in their
needs,
when the
world is
shaking and
the enemies
seem to be
prevailing
against them,
God calls
them to
look to
the end
and see
that he
will be
their ultimate
refuge.
He will be
their shelter.
He will
guard them
and protect
them from
judgment.
On that
final day
there will
be only one
place to
hide.
There will
be only one
place of
refuge and
that is in
the Lord
God himself.
And the
promise that
once God's
decision is
made and
the nations
are being
judged,
the promise
to the
people of
God is
that they
will know
him and
that they
will dwell
with him
in Zion.
You see
that in
the end
of verse
17.
Now the
language of
Zion is
referring to
what we
call the
new creation,
the time
where God
will dwell
with his
people forever.
There will
be no more
sin,
no more
pain,
no more
suffering,
no more
enemies of
God.
God and
his people
will dwell
in perfect
harmony.
For all
those who
put their
trust in
God,
he will be
your final
refuge.
Doesn't that
give you
courage as
you suffer
in this
world which
hates God?
Imagine the
relief that
the people of
Israel must
feel.
Maybe they
still remember
the hunger
pains from
the locust
plague in
Joel chapter
1.
They still
remember the
destruction so
vividly.
But now
the God
who loves
them,
who called
them out,
has promised
them complete
restoration and
peace.
God dwells
with his
people and
what does the
end of verse
17 say?
Jerusalem will
be holy.
God
will be
made holy.
God
recreates
this broken
and corrupt
world and
makes it
completely new.
God's
people will
also be
transformed and
we will be
made holy.
God isn't
just saying I'm
going to give
you a nice
place for my
people to hang
out for the
rest of their
lives.
I'm not just
going to set
them up for
life but God
is saying that
humanity's ultimate
problem of sin
and separation
from God will
be eradicated.
God's people
will be holy
and perfect.
This holiness
will never be
achieved on this
side of Jesus'
return.
But once he
returns and
gathers his
people to
himself, they
will dwell with
God.
It's an amazing
truth.
The language
points us to
Revelation chapter
21 where I'll
read a few
verses.
You can look it
up later on.
Revelation 21
says this,
Then I saw a
new heaven and
a new earth.
For the first
heaven and the
first earth had
passed away.
There was no
longer any sea.
I saw a holy
city, a new
Jerusalem, coming
down out of
heaven from God,
prepared as a
bride beautifully
dressed for her
husband.
And I heard a
loud voice from
the throne saying,
Look, God's
dwelling place is
now among the
people and he
will dwell with
them.
They will be his
people and God
himself will be
with them and be
their God.
He will wipe away
every tear from
their eyes.
There will be no
more death or
mourning or crying
or pain for the
old order of
things had passed
away.
Breathtaking.
God is the one who
will make this new
place holy.
How?
Because he himself
will dwell there.
A holy people will
live holy lives,
living in a holy
place because it is
the very dwelling
place of the most
holy God.
Nothing unclean
will enter this new
Jerusalem or Zion.
Jerusalem.
This place is not
for anything or
anyone who has not
been made holy by
God, but only for
those who have been
made holy by
believing in him.
Only those who have
accepted Jesus Christ
and been forgiven
through his sacrificial
death on the cross
will be able to dwell
with God.
The only way to
heaven is through
Jesus, the Son of
God who died,
meaning that undeserving
sinners like you and
like me, can be made
right with God.
And this holiness
leads to satisfaction
in verse 18.
This new place in the
presence of God is a
picture of abundance.
Nobody is lacking,
but God will provide
and you see that in the
poetic language that's
used.
The mountains will drip
new wine, the hills
will flow with milk,
the ravines will run
with water.
This is such a
contrast to the
devastation that was
caused by the locust
plague in Joel chapter
1.
God will restore all
things and his
blessings will be
abundant.
Now this isn't the
kind of false
satisfaction that our
world offers and
loves today.
Today people find
fleeting satisfaction
in jobs, in
houses, in
relationships, in
money, and the
list goes on and
on and on.
But the minute those
things are taken
away, people feel
empty.
People feel lacking.
But on that final
day, God, people will
be made right with
God.
There is no greater
satisfaction than for
your creator, the God
who knows you, the God
who loves you, the God
who saves you, and who
truly knows what you
need.
He will satisfy your
very soul.
That longing you feel
when a loved one dies.
That feeling of
disappointment when
someone lets you down.
That anger as you
work and work and work
but your boss doesn't
notice and doesn't
reward.
God will be
gone.
The satisfaction that
this covenant-keeping
God promises his
people is completely
out of this world.
We can't even begin to
imagine what it is like.
But it will be
glorious.
And that is what the
end looks like for God's
people.
And all of this
abundance finds its
root in God himself.
All of this blessing, all
of this holiness and
satisfaction, all of this
perfection and purity
is rooted in
God.
The faithful,
covenant-keeping God
who is a refuge for
his people.
God will dwell with his
people.
They will be holy and
they will be satisfied
and they will be
different.
Verses 19 to 21.
They describe the
contrast between those
who are the people of
God and those who
aren't.
Egypt will be
desolate.
Edom, a desert
place.
There will be no
life.
They will be
destroyed.
These cities are
mentioned as
representatives of all
the enemies of God
and that is the end
that awaits those who
reject God.
The enemies of
God are contrasted
with this picture of
perfection that the
people of God will
enjoy.
nations will be
judged based on
their dealings with
the people of God
and they will be
destroyed and left
empty but Judah,
on the other hand,
will be inhabited
forever.
Jerusalem,
through all
generations.
Again, this is
prophetic and poetic
language for the new
creation where God
will dwell with his
people.
This is not speaking
about the actual city
of Jerusalem but it
refers to the new
Jerusalem that we see
in Revelation chapter
21.
God's message to his
people is that he
will be their refuge.
An old hymn speaks
about God as a refuge
with these words.
Rock of ages cleft for
me, let me hide myself
in thee.
Let the water and the
blood from thy wounded
side which flowed be of
sin the double cure.
Save from wrath and make
me pure.
And the promise that
ends this book of
Joel is marvelous.
God dwells in Zion.
That is what the end
looks like for the
people of God.
And as we draw to a
close this morning,
let me ask again,
are you living in light
of the end?
Maybe you've never
heard this before.
But this is the end
that the Bible says
is coming.
This is the end that
Jesus said was coming
and this is the end
that deep down we all
long for.
We want justice to be
given.
We want the wrong
things of this world
to be made right.
But in that cry for
justice,
we cannot forget
where we stand.
The end that Joel
foretells is the end
that is still to come.
God will either be
your judge or your
refuge.
Who will he be for
you on that day?
Allow me to be direct
this morning.
Where do you stand
with God?
Where do you stand
with God?
There is always a
response to the
message of God.
There is either a
hunger to know more
or there is a
hatred and a
rejection of that
message.
And as we are
gathered here this
morning, are you
rejecting God or is
he your refuge?
This is not a
decision you should
take lightly.
Nor is it a matter
that you should put
off for the future
me.
There is no time to
lose.
We do not know when
Jesus will come back.
But when he does,
God will sit and
judge the world.
There will be no
more time to
reconsider your
stance before God.
This morning, will
you look to God for
your refuge?
Or will you continue
to reject?
Or maybe you are
here and you are a
Christian.
Are you looking
forward and living in
light of that final
day?
See, these are not
just some pleasant
ideas that God spoke
to his people to keep
them going, to spur
them on.
This is the reality
that awaits you as a
child of God.
This is the end that
is awaiting you.
The God who knows
you, who created you,
who loves you, who
saves you, will dwell
with you.
Isn't that glorious
news?
Isn't that news that
we can all get excited
about?
Isn't that the reality
reality that we want
other people to join
in with and be a part
of?
Joel 3 sets out the
end of the story of
this world, but the
beginning of the story
of eternity.
For Christians, that is
an eternity spent with
God.
For those who reject
God, it is an eternity
of judgment.
judgment.
Do we think about
this as we sit
having dinner with
our friends?
If this is the
glorious future that
we look forward to,
what is holding us
back from declaring
it to the world?
If this is the
severity of judgment
that we know is
coming, what is
holding us back from
telling people and
warning them?
Now, I ask myself
these questions just
as much as I ask
you because I am
just as nervous when
it comes to sharing
the gospel with
somebody.
But if we have
such good news to
share, we'd be
selfish to keep it
to ourselves.
And if we know
that this is the
severity of judgment
that is coming,
then we need to
warn people.
Penn Jillette, a
famous American
magician, comedian,
and outspoken
atheist, says that
he doesn't respect
people who do not
proselytize.
And I'll quote him.
He says this,
how much do you
have to hate someone
not to proselytize?
How much do you
have to hate someone
to believe that
everlasting life is
possible and not
tell them that?
I mean, if I believe
beyond the shadow of
a doubt that a
truck was coming at
you and you didn't
believe it, and that
truck was bearing in
on you, there is a
certain point where
I just tackle you.
And this is more
important than that.
This is the future
that the Bible
teaches.
This is the future
that awaits all
people, and this is
the future that we
have to proclaim to
the world.
As a Christian this
morning, look at
that glorious promise
at the end of verse
21 and know that
that is your future.
As a child of God,
you will live together
with God in the new
Jerusalem, in the new
heavens and new earth.
All sin, gone.
All impurity, gone.
All pain, gone.
Your future is holy,
pure, everlasting,
satisfaction and peace
with God.
These are the two ends
that await every single
human being in this
world.
A valley of decision
or a tower of refuge.
Can you stand in a few
moments as we sing this
song and say and sing
these words knowing that
they are true for you?
It is well with my soul.
Can you stand and sing my sin
oh the bliss of this
glorious thought, my sin
not in part but the whole
is nailed to the cross
and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord.
Oh my soul.
If you cannot say that,
take time today to think
about how you stand
before God.
Let's pray together.
Just in the silence of your
own hearts for a minute or so
let's think about how we
stand before God.
Think about how we are
living in light of the end.
Is God your refuge this
morning or will you be
standing in the valley of
decision?
If you'd like to speak about
anything that has been said
this morning or sung or read
feel free to grab anyone
who's been up front.
I'll be standing at the door
as you leave.
We'd love to pray for you
and to speak with you.
Heavenly Father we thank you
so much that you tell the
world who you are through
your word.
Lord we thank you that you
offer us the opportunity to
find our refuge in you on
that final day.
Lord we acknowledge the cost
that that was for your son
Jesus Christ.
And Lord with all our hearts
we thank you.
In his name.
Amen.