Shelter and Strength in Judgment (Joel 3:9-16)

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. (vs14-16)

God comes in Judgment, but His people - those who followed Him - shall be safe. The reward is to everyone who repents, to the person who turns and obeys Jesus Christ. We can't be saved without Him, but we'll be saved WITH Him, and that makes all obedience and every spiritual sacrifice WORTH it in the end.

What will you do when Jesus comes? It will be TOO late to receive salvation and obedience then; it must be decided now on earth before that Day comes. And, the wisest thing imaginable is preparing your eternal soul by pleasing Him. This is like God's word to Noah: destruction comes assuredly, and salvation is assuredly in Christ. He said, “The end of all flesh has come before Me,for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch” (Gen 6:13-14). Like Noah's ark, this is something to be done by you. Salvation isn't something that takes place in heaven alone (by God's decree), but it actually impacts your conduct and thinking. Christ is teaching that those who obey Him - who build on the Rock of His word, and who die by His truth, denying themselves DAILY - will be saved in the end. He says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

People now prepare for every calamity from global warming and climate change, to the 401K and planning for their grandchild’s future. Yet, this wise preparation for tomorrow is never GREATER than the care we have for ourselves spiritually. Peter said, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:10-11).

People have misunderstood self-examination, thinking it leads to gloom if done too much, but it isn't so! Self-examination leads to peace, even as confession leads to Christ and grace, even as repentance leads to power from on high through forgiveness revealed. Paul wrote, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter (2 Cor 7:10-11). Observing my steps and examining my ways... changing my wrongs and doing works worthy of repentance... isn't dreary; it is EXACTLY the life we've been called to, and it keeps us trusting Christ, rather than saying that we believe while living in sin. Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified”, true preachers of truth (2 Cor 13:5-6).

Ultimately, the tree is judged by its fruit. What kind of Christian are you? Are you one who believes and practices gospel teaching, or are you wrong in heart and life? If you trust Jesus Christ with power, then you'll be rewarded with Christ in the end. He says, “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 1:11-12). Judgment Day will be a day of admiration for salvation in Christ, and you'll look upon Him amazed in love, rather than dreadful and in fear.

The gospel does the one thing needful; it prepares us to meet God. It promises PEACE and obedience as its fruit, as we rely on Christ. It secures us with promises of safety, if we spend our lives preparing. Noah moved with fear, reverence for Christ, and we serve the Lord in fear, rejoicing in trembling (Ps 2:11).

“Retaliation Upon Your Own Head” (Joel 2:28-3:)

Because you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My prized possessions. Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem you have sold to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders. "Behold, I will raise them out of the place to which you have sold them, and will return your retaliation upon your own head”.(vs5-7)

The Lord Jesus will fight for us, even as He fought against us before. He dwindled us, threw us down because of our sin, and He gave the enemies of sin, guilt, and trouble permission to afflict us mightily. But now, we've turned, repentance has been given, and we are going to be rewarded for obeying the gospel, even bowing before Him helpless. He will intervene like a Strong Man, taking out the terror of our foes, and then giving us the victory in His love. Don't fret, puny man. Don't be hesitant about your promised blessings. The Lord is on your side. You believe in hell, believe also in heaven. You believe in Christ, believe also in power and grace from Him. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). He will lift up your hand with His as more than a conqueror through Him who loves you.

I'm ashamed no more, because Christ died, and the stain is gone. He says, “I will raise them out of the place to which you have sold them, and will return your retaliation upon your own head”. I could never erase the sin if I scrubbed forever, but in one blow, the Son suffered God's curse and put away my sins. Not only that, but He's given REPENTANCE, so that I bow before God saying, “Your will be done”, and, “Help”, and “Save me Your way on Your terms”, and His response is “Yes, yes, yes”. Be thankful that He's gotten you to your knees by the oppressor, and now, by keeping you bowed before Him, He'll give the oppressors neck to your feet. You shall rule the very problems that brought you terror and grief. You shall rejoice amidst trials, conquer lusts and temptations, and you shall experience relief. This doesn't mean trials are over; it means peace that you didn't have is now here, strength you lacked is given, and power from on High has loosed the bondage you're in. Bless God! Repentance produces visible and tangible results in our hearts; it increases joy and peace.

You will win, not because you're mighty, but because God is on your side instead of against. He now sees your unbelief, shame, and fear as things that He'll conquer, and they will be subdued, just as sure as He has power over sin. When Christ DIED, He earned all the grace that God gives, and by raising Him, the Father proves that His Son has power to give LIFE to whom He wills! I don't have to look inwardly or fearfully saying, “How will I do this”, but I can lean wholeheartedly on Him.

Bless His name. This salvation is God's gift to His remnant. He says, “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2:32). He predestined you for salvation and deliverance from your blatant failures, and then He used pain to bring it to you... to make you willing and repentance... rather than allowing you to perish in sin. He as a Father, chastened you while it was time. And now, just as He chastised faithfully and according to His word, He will heal, deliver, and give salvation and strength by the same word of promise, that the repenter would be blessed. He says, “‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew––I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these. And it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong (Zech 8:11-13).'”

“Where is Their God? (Joel 2:15-27)

Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’" (vs17)

We want God to fight for us against our sin and the devil. We need help from the Almighty. He must save us from sin, intervening on our behalf for Christ's sake and in great pity. He says, “Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; his stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things.” He has fought against God's people as a tool the Lord will now justly punish and dispose of. He has tempted, assaulted, and plagued us with accusations, allurements, and obstacles. Now, God removes His yoke, allows us to rejoice in Christ, and He gives us power over sin.

Secondly, God's promises are good, and we're to rejoice now and always (vs21-24). He says, “Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you––the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.” I'm learning to look into the future and see the promises as real, so real, that I'm happy now. If we know that He'll save, even while we cry out, let us be assured and at peace. If we know that He'll give the power, no matter how weak we've been, let us not fret in unbelief, saying prayers that we don't mean. Instead, receive the promised grace of Christ, and take the “check in the mail” as being good. He won't forsake you, and soon you'll see the promises face to face, but until then, we have heard their truth from God, so we'll rest ourselves, rejoice, and stop the slavish fear. We shall rejoice, so now is the time to get started, knowing the future is secure!

Finally, no one cries to the Lord and gets no mercy or hearing (vs25-27). He says, “My people shall never be put to shame”. He always answers His people who like the widow before the unjust judge, plead for vengeance upon our foes and vengeance on their disturbing the peace. Bless God. It doesn't matter how bad I am, how long I've walked in hypocrisy, or how blind I've been to the damage I've caused. When I cry out to God, He hears me, and He restores the God that I lost. He says, “"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.”

It will never be a time that He doesn't hear us, so we praise Him from the heart for graciously saving us from sin. He says, “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame”.He gave the conviction, or we'd be sinners, hardhearted and content. He told us to come back home by way of confession and repentance, admitting our sins. And, He is the One who not only forgave but also gave the peace that we enjoy. Therefore, rather than praise ourselves; we love Him from the heart, and we believe that glory belongs to Him rightfully, because He has done wondrously. We're saved graciously, so we praise and worship Him in the spirit by faith. We believe His greatness, and we walk as people who've obtained mercy, debtors to all men, rather than pretending that it's owed to us or we can live how we see fit.

“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!

“Cry Out to the Lord” (Joel 1:13-14)

“Gird yourselves and lament, you priest; wail, you who minster before the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, you who minster to my God; for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”

Cry out to the Lord amidst the miseries of this present life - the miseries of sin, and the heartbreak that we endure. Pain is common to God's people, and we must BOUNCE BACK by calling to the Lord in trouble, lest it hardens us against Him and others. Hebrews 12:12-15 says, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God [refuse it]; lest any root of bitterness [over trouble] springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled”. God's grace is enough to meet us in the trial, whether it is chastisement for direct sin, or simply the pain of living in a sinful world; either way, we'll GET from Christ the help that we need.

Cry out to Him because He'll hear you, help you, and you'll be HAPPY that you did.

First, cry out because He HEARS the cry of the oppressed and afflicted. It doesn't matter if it is our fault, or no direct fault of our own; God has made Himself the God of His people, the God who hears and ANSWERS our prayers in the time of our need. He says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). He doesn't say, “Cry out” for no reason: He'll assuredly answer and give the grace. He says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Luke 11:9-13)” He will magnify Himself by bowing down His ear, so He says, “Cry out”, so that you can be healed.

Secondly, He'll heal you. Some are able to hear compassionately, but they cannot help; it's not so with Christ. He is able to help us in our time of need, even as He healed the leprous man who was utterly filled with the weakness and misery of His condition. Luke 5:12-13 says, “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean'. Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed'. Immediately the leprosy left him”. He will give power to cleanse the sin stained conscience and reconcile you to God. He will give purpose in your life, so that you don't live in vain and squander yourself on painful things, things that bite you in the end.

Every bit of pain ought to sanctify us by bringing us before the Lord, so that we don't get bitter and respond in hate. You've seen people made bitter by the world. They have withdrawn, they're are sad perpetually, angry, quick to fight, depressed, or many of the other maladies associated with being kicked in the stomach by the world and sin.

We need God in our trials. We need Him to fix us and put us in the right way. The wife may be distant, the children off track, and this will come to purge the father's own relationship with God and produce a better husband. God will give this grace that you seek, not only to forgive all transgressions, but also to enable you to make needful improvements, so that the pain doesn't persist. He says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Consider your ways! God up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified', says the Lord. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?' says the Lord of hosts. 'Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew and the earth withholds its fruit” (Haggai 1:7-10).

Ultimately, the answer to ALL life's problems is to double-down... go all in... and give ourselves WHOLEHEARTEDLY to the preaching of Christ and the establishment of the Church. He hasn't called us to build anything, except churches that glorify God by spreading the gospel into all the world by the means that He appointed, even assembly, fellowship, and order. Colossians 2 says, “Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ”. By grace, give yourself increasingly to this cause, and grace will assuredly get it done, even as Noah built the ark.

Thirdly, cry out because He'll make you happy in the end. The One who afflicts and punishes His church, who chastises us for unbelief and sin, is the One who will return your lost joys by giving you obedience, and joys aplenty. He says, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2:25-26).

It is wrong to think that Satan is the one who gives joy, and God gives misery and burdens, joyless faces and religious bondage; it isn't true. This is Satan's lie, that pleasure comes from him, when they actually come from the God who made beauty, love, the marriage bed, and whose presence is pleasure forevermore. Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore”. God gives GOOD things, and He's gracious to give happiness and peace, when obedience is established. This is the link with God: we must have righteousness, and by this, He makes us eternally happy in heaven's bliss, and we taste a portion of His beautiful pleasure down here.

Don't limit yourself. Believe the grace of God and surrender to His school of holiness, as He calls you to Himself in your miseries. Don't let problems make you unhappy perpetually, as if failure or disappointment defines you. Let these ALWAYS bring you completely to the grace of God to see God on your side helping you walk with Him, so that He can give you the joy that He loves to give His people. It would be wrong to bless sin, but He will bless your righteousness freely, the righteousness that comes by believing Him when you're deservedly hurting, and by crying out to Him when life has kicked you in the face with misery.

“Joy Has Withered Away From the Sons of Men” (Joel 1:1-13)

Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree––All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. (vs11-12)

We're to be ashamed, to howl, and to mourn, admitting that joy is missing and things aren't the way that we'd desire. The problem is NEVER admitting that we're wrong, as if there is no help; the problem is that we choose hypocrisy, or we're slow to realize that the pain is for a reason. God gives us pain, like the heat of the fire, to warn us to plunge no further, and to warn us to go in the other direction. Be wise. Take the misery, pain, losses, and failures in your life as reason to draw near to Christ, so that He may heal you. Scripture says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). If you repent, this pain has been the blessing that you needed.

I spoke to someone today and recounted how the Lord had blessed them by misery and suffering to learn lessons SO valuable that they have no pain to remember; what they suffered has been SO good to them, though hurtful at the time, because it has brought forth fruit so wonderful that the memory of pain is removed. Jesus teaches us that a woman travailing in birth FORGETS all the pain as she hugs her man-child. He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remember the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:19-22). Bless the Lord! This will happen to you, and I speak as one who's gone through the downs and come out the other side to see the Lord is gracious. He will heal, pardon, and give renewing grace. He will change the pain into peace.

Do not despair; it may appear to be dark now, but the Sun will rise in the mourning and joy will return. Ps 30:4-5 says, “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Don't be ashamed as if hope is gone and failure defines you. You have a brighter day coming, and the dark clouds bring the rain, whereby the ground is fruitful. God is not a God to wound and then refuse to heal: He doesn't point out sin in order to mock us, if we HEAR the voice of repentance. Come back to Christ and call upon Him AS YOU ARE and without fear. Live life optimistically, even while you wait on His healing: it is sure, and He will not let you down nor prove Himself unfaithful. I've seen God faithful: He will not let us RULE the day, but He will give grace and joy where misery has taken root.