“Who Can Endure It?” (Joel 1:15-2:13)

“The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?” (vs10-11)

The Day of the Lord is a fearful and awesome day of Judgment, and we're to prepare for it. The pain of this life leads us to realize the PAIN of the life to come, if we don't have Christ.

Indeed, pain isn't to be ignored, like a sore tooth; it is to lead us to repentance, because it will get worse. He says, “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off before our eyes [already, as proof that more is coming], joy and gladness from the house of our God?” We can't say, “I've taken your best shot, God, and I'm still standing”. We're to know that the joylessness of today and the conviction of sins is only a precursor to God's wrath eternal.

Maybe you can handle the sadness of today and forget about God, but you won't be able to handle the weariness and the misery of your sin in the long term, when it breeds its eternal separation and wrath from God. He says, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them.” Even in this present world, saints are instructed to repent, because we'll either change, or things will get worse (1 Sam 2:12-3:14).

Refusing to repent will hurt the family, the church, and your own self in years to come. Do you have pain? Repent. Do you think it's as bad as it can get? It isn't. Will God hear and answer you favorably? He will. He says “"Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm (Joel 2:12-13).”

This leads us to grace, the fact that we need Christ or we die. The necessity is what breeds the repentance, and God's given pain and warnings for this reason: I must trust Christ or suffer God's wrath forever. How simple it is!