Are You Living in Light of the End?

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.

Joel 1 · chapter mention

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.

Joel 3 · chapter mention

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.

Joel 3 · chapter mention

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.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

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

Joel 1 · chapter mention

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

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

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

Joel 1 · chapter mention

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

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

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.

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.

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.