Rend Your Hearts (Joel)

Praise the Lord for that I got to be in the front row and hear the choir out here singing that was amazing. Well turn to the Book of Joel The Book of Joel just a reminder for those of you that weren't here last week. We are starting the series on Christ in the Minor Prophets and the Minor Prophets are the the last 12 books of the Old Testament and they're not called the Minor Prophets cuz they're the minor leagues kind of you know, you got the Major Prophets of Isaiah and Jeremiah. It's not like they were the first string and a Joanne Amos and Obadiah are the second string. The reason they're called the Minor Prophets is because the content is short. In fact, all of the 12 books could be fit onto 1 scroll back in the day didn't put it in the books. They put them on a scroll and and the 12 Minor Prophets fit on one scroll. In fact, they were called the book of The Twelve. And we are in the Book of Joel and these first six prophets in the Minor Prophets the first six books you see that they're arranged with a strong emphasis on warning. God's glory will be seen when he brings salvation through judgment. And so these first six books. I was just having a conversation right before church about this issue of they're not chronological so that can be very confusing when we read it if if you get that far in your read through the Bible in a year, if you don't get beat up by The Book of Leviticus in all of the you know begats and that so the first six books Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah are primarily about judgment but not only about judgment. It is also about salvation. In fact what we see throughout the Minor Prophets is that Yahweh alone are the people's savior. We saw this in the book of Hosea. He pictures it like Hosea and his wife's marriage. Though Israel had been chasing after other Idols like an Unfaithful wife. Yahweh is the faithful husband who goes and buys her out of bondage and slavery and what a picture of the Gospel but we've already been singing and what we heard in the book of Acts that Jesus died for us and threw his blood purchased us off of the slave block of sin. Not only that we see that when you always saved his salvation will result in his glory filling the Earth will see this today, but when we talk about the day of the Lord And in Joel 227 he says that you shall know I am in the midst of Israel and I am the Lord your God and there is none else in my people shall never again be put to shame what we see is throughout the Minor Prophets that when he always saves and redeems his people know him not just know about him not just no facts that he's the one who made the heavens and the Earth but have relationship with him know him. Have Fellowship in communion with him and that in that knowledge. They will respond by worshipping him rejoicing in him and singing his praises and we're going to see this throughout the series as we go. Well the Book of Joel he's been called in the commentaries the prophet of Pentecost. We heard it in Acts where Joel is quoted about in these last days the spirits going to be poured out on All Flesh. He's called the prophet of hopefulness. So even in the midst of judgment, there's this great hope that the day of the Lord is coming and he's been called the prophet of the spirit promising this future outpouring of the Holy Spirit and this man Joel he was privileged to see both as it were in prophetic Outlook the beginning of the New Covenant and the end of the age and the Eternal state in all things to come where God is going to make all things new and so we're really going to be talking about

Everything from the pouring out of the spirit of Pentecost to Jesus 2nd coming in making all things new the rest of human history this little Book of Joel covers it all and the context of the Book of Joel is we begin to read it here briefly. There was a devastating Locust plague that hit the nation of Israel in particular the southern Kingdom of Judah Joel is prophesying to that southern the southern Kingdom Judah and it's also accompanied by a severe drought commentators believe that it's in that context that Joel begins prophesying calling them to repentance so that the Locust plague in the drought would be lifted and then warning them of a greater judgment to come called the day of the Lord you might have heard of this day of the Lord It's spoken of in many prophets. It's spoken of in the New Testament. It was a Fulfillment that the day of the Lord is coming that's bringing judgment, but also with its salvation and this Locust plague Joel tells, the people is a type of that day of the Lord to come now. We don't know when Joel was written in terms of what century It Was Written but we do know that it's quoted in the Old Testament by a number of books Isaiah Ezekiel Amos Obadiah Micah nachum, Zephaniah and Malachi and then it's quoted in the New Testament by the book of Acts Peters sermon that we just heard red and I want you to turn just it if I can just give you one set of verses to to latch onto in the Book of Joel will be Joel 2:12 in 13. I want to read this as a summary just to give you the the main point. Verse 12 of chapter 2 yet even now declares the Lord return to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with morning and Rend your hearts and not your garments return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and he relents over disaster. So this is the heart of the prophecy of Joel the book repent Rend your hearts. In fact, I title that Rend your hearts and that picture of Rend your hearts, not your garments. We don't typically tear our garments when we have sorrow anymore, but it was very common for them to as an example of their sorrow may be at a funeral or maybe over their own sin to tear their garments in half. Like Hulk Hogan back in the day when he would just rip the shirt off now we don't do that. But but there's this. This insinuation by jovit that tearing of the garments had become a public display. The didn't reflect the heart and hear Joel says Rend your hearts. Not your garments don't just have an outward display of Sorrow for sin actually demonstrate repentance and sorrow for sin in your hearts. Why Joel? Why would you say this? Well, because when you do that and you return to the Lord your God what you find is that he's gracious and he's merciful and he's slow to anger and he's abounding in steadfast love and he relents over disaster. In other words when you repent this is the character of our God is that he forgives you and he brings you to himself and he gives you what you don't deserve to give you Grace and he's compassionate and he's slow to anger. He's not like those that even though you're sorry. They just cancel you and it's done and over with I needs a pounding and steadfast Covenant keeping love. Any Reliance over disaster this is this the heart of God and I know I've said this before but many times our perception of the Old Testament is that God is just a god of Holiness and righteousness in anger. And all he wants to do is just nuke anybody off the planet. He's just looking for an excuse and it took the god of the New Testament Jesus to sort of talk him off the ledge and say hey there slow down forgive these people. I died for them know. This is the heart of God. Is to be gracious and compassionate and slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and to relent concerning disaster and Joel here is quoting God himself in the book of Exodus. Of course, we know in the book of Exodus when he reveals this he will by no means clear the guilty and so Joel we're going to see is full of judgment for those who are guilty the Holiness of God demands judgment. But what listen to the heart of God, this is what I want you to hear. So the first part of the book it breaks out into two parts Joel speaks God's judgment upon the people from 11 to 2:17. And then the second part is going to be God's salvation from 2:18 to 3:21. So first God's judgment and Joel speaking. So let's read beginning here in chapter 1 the word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of petty. Well, here's issue Elders give ear all inhabitants of the land has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your father's tell your children of it and let your children tell their children and their children to another generation what the cutting Locust left the swarming Locust has eaten. What's a swarming Locust left the hopping Locust has eaten and what the hopping Locust left of destroying Locust has eaten. Awake you drunkards and weep and wail all you drinkers of wine because of the sweet wine for its cut off from your mouth for a nation is come up against Mile and Powerful & Beyond number its teeth are lion's teeth and it has fangs of a lioness. It is laid waste my Vine and splintered my fig tree. It is stripped off their bark and throwing it down in their branches are made white lament Like a Virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth the grain offering in the drink offering or cut off from the house of the Lord the priests more in the Ministers of the Lord. The fields are destroyed the ground morons because the grain is destroyed the wind dries up the oil languages. Be ashame do tillers of the soil weigh low vinedressers for the wheat and The Barley because of the Harvest of the field has perished the vine dries up. The Fig Tree language is pomegranate palm and apple all the trees of the field or dried up and gladness dries up from the children of man put on sackcloth and lamento Priests way low Ministers of the altar go in past the night in sack cloth own Ministers of my God because grain offering and drink offering or withheld from the house of your God consecrate a fast call the solemn assembly gather the elders all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God and cry out to the Lord a last for the day the day of the Lord is near and that's destruction from the almighty. It comes is not the food cut off from before our eyes joy and gladness from the house of our God the seat Rebels under the clods. The store houses are desolate. The granaries are torn down because the grain is dried up how the Beast grown the herds of cattle are perplexed because there's no pasture for them. In the flocks of sheep supper to you. Oh Lord, I call for the fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and Flame is burned all the trees of the field even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water Brooks are dried up in fire has devoured the pastures of the Wilderness. What a picture this Devastation. That's that's present. It is starts with a a locust plague is why there's this description of these four types of locust in and the commentators believe that the best view is that Joel began to prophesy in the midst of a plague of locusts. And then the plague was so severe you have these for descriptions of locust and there's some debate if you go read the commentaries, whether it's for waves of locust or if it's four species of locust or four stages of a locust development from the the larvae to the pupae to the fully grown. Whatever and we don't know bottom line, but it's four different types of plague that come one after another after another after another and I'll read you a description of what a locust plague is, like during a single day a locust swarm can travel 60 miles and during the course of a migration of swarm may move up to six hundred miles in 1959 a locust plague in Ethiopia lasted six weeks and a conservative estimate is that the locusts consumed enough food to feed 1 million people for a year.

I've never experienced anything like that. We don't have to even have Lucas here. We do grasshoppers. I've seen grasshoppers but Locust I'm not sure but imagine that just a big giant wave of bugs. They just come in and eat everything and this is what they're in the midst of and Joel here says in verse to hear and listen and he uses it as an opportunity to call Israel to repentance in four groups or talked about in chapter 1 drunkards City dwellers farmers and Priests and he basically says to them whether you're a drunkard in your relying upon wine to make you happy all the Wine's gone, cuz The Vineyards are eaten by the Locust the city dwellers and verses 8 to 10 the Grain and and drinks are cut off because the fields are destroyed in verse 10 the farmers. All of their livelihood is gone The Barley the grain the Find the Fig Tree the priests who are supposed to minister at the altar with all of these things. Their response should be repentance. And chapter one is just this picture of devastation. Locust plague then accompanied by famine and probably the locusts eating all the food produce the famine. now chapter 2 the devastation that was their jaws says to the people. There's a worst sort of locust plague as it were coming a worse judgment coming called the day of the Lord 2:1 blow a trumpet in Zion sound an alarm on my Holy Mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming and it is near a day of darkness and Gloom a day of clouds and thick Darkness like Blackness. There is spread upon the mountains the great and powerful people there like has never been before nor will be again after them through the years of all generations fire devours before them in behind them a flame burns. The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate Wilderness and nothing escapes them their parents is like the appearance of horses and like war horses. They run in with the rumbling of Chariots day. Sleep on the tops of mountains like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble like a powerful Army drawn up for battle before them peoples are in anguish All Phases grow pale like Warriors, they charge like soldiers. They scale the wall. They March each on his way. They do not swear from their paths. They do not jostle one another each marches in his path. They burst through the weapons that are not halted they leap upon the city they run upon the walls. They climb up into the houses. They enter Through the Windows like a thief the earthquakes before them the heavens tremble the sun and moon or dark ending the Stars withdraw their shining and the Lord orders his voice before his army for his Camp is exceedingly great. He executes his word is powerful for the day of the Lord is great and very awesome and who can endure it? So this severity he describes this Army that's going to come Babylonian Army that's going to conquer Judah because of their Disobedience and he describes him like a swarm of locusts, but he says I'm like the Swarm that's all scattered there in lines and they just run through everything and they get everywhere and Jones prophecy is like an alarm at like a call of a horn and when it blows it's like the pay attention wake up when I was working at the oil refineries in the Bay Area there. It would be a big deal if an alarm went off the specially the big Refinery alarm when you hear that big Refinery alarm in town. It's a big deal when it goes off and it isn't it isn't turned on for no reason unless they're testing it and they let everybody know that it's whatever it is at noon on the second Thursday of the month or whatever it is. But when that alarm goes off, it means go cross and upwind and make sure that you're not Some sort of crazy Cloud watching, you know, there's no troubles when I worked at Dow Chemical in Pittsburgh when I was really young I was super confused because there were alarms going off left and right. In every single place and every single unit and it was always a different alarm in here. I am worried that you know, you take the the the you get initiated in that place and they tell you over there. There's a chemical that if it gets on you would eat your bones and kills you when you think I don't want to be out here. That's kind of crazy. You guys all know. I know a bunch of you've worked at all these places, but pretty soon when you're out there working. You hear all these alarms go off and you ignore them all. It's another day. I don't know not my unit not my problem. Probably the you know that the alarm got tripped in the operator hasn't turned it off and I'll probably just mean something else. It's probably not an emergency. Pretty soon you begin to wonder what I even respond to a real alarm cuz you've been conditioned to just ignore the alarms. Well, this is what Joel is saying to his people is you've been conditioned to ignore the alarms. Judgements coming because you've disobeyed God and you're turning away from him and you're not pursuing him and judgements coming and you've been conditioned to just say it'll never happen and Joel the same wake up. There's a day coming you thought this Locust plague was unusual so much. So you're going to tell your children and grandchildren and their children wait till the day of the Lord comes it's going to be unique verse 3 like the garden was undone by sin. The day of the Lord is going to be that dramatic. And what's amazing to me and chapter 2 is at the head of this Army is Yahweh himself. The one who would protect Jerusalem is now attacking the city. The one who is coming on this day of the Lord. It says Yahweh is leading it verse 11 the Lord utters his voice before the army. So God is bringing judgment through this Army that's coming upon his own people because of their sin. And so then he turns what I read to you earlier. He gives them this call to repentance and verses 12 to 17 yet even now declares the Lord returned to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping in with morning Rend your hearts and not your garments return to the Lord your God for his gracious and merciful slow to anger abounding and steadfast love and your lens over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn in relent and leave a blessing behind him a grain offering in a drink offering for the Lord your God blow the trumpet in Zion consecrate a fast call the solemn assembly gather the people consecrate the congregation assemble the elders gather the children even nursing infants let the bridegroom leave his rooms in the bridal chamber between the vegetable and the altar let the priests the Ministers of the Lord weep and say spare your people O Lord and make not your heritage or approached a byword among the Nations. Why should they say among the peoples? Where is your god? So this day of the Lord is referred to four times in the Book of Joel beginning here in 2:1. We saw it in verse 11. We're going to see it later and verse 31 and then in 3:14. And this day of the Lord has spoken of by a number of prophets. In fact when I said are you familiar with it? I saw a lot of you nod your head. Yes, and we can think of the day is having two parts. A day and a night a night time face or the the Wrath or judgment phase and a daytime phase the the blessing phase and many of the Old Testament scriptures dealing with the day of the Lord have a reference only to the Rath portion when we get to the Book of Amos. If you were to read Isaiah 13 or Jeremiah 46 Ezekiel 30 when we get to Zephaniah will see this but then many talk about a blessing that follows this day of the Lord like we're going to see here in Joel in fact 2nd Peter 3:12 speaks of the day of the Lord and I'll read it to you you can turn their if you'd like, but I'm just going to read it 2nd Peter 3:12 starting verse 11 since all these things are thus to be dissolved because in verse 10 the day of the Lord will come like a thief. What sort of people ought you to be in lies of Holiness and godliness first 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved in the heavenly bodies will melt as they burned but according to his promise. We are waiting for a new heavens and a new Earth in which righteousness dwell. So Peter tells us that when this day of the Lord comes yes, it's going to be judgment, but it's for the purpose ultimately a bringing blessing to his people and righteousness is dwelling and they'll be a new heavens and a new Earth. And this is what we long for isn't it? Jesus said take communion as often as you do it until I come again. Work and as often as we do it, we are remembering the Lord Jesus until he comes to make all things right a new heavens and a new Earth and so back to Joel 2:18. This is where we begin to see the second half of this work. God is speaking and he's speaking about his salvation and the restoration of blessing in this blessing side of the day of the Lord. Look at 2:18. The Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people the Lord answered and said to his people behold I'm sending you a grain wine and oil and you will be satisfied and I will know more make you a reproach among the nation's I will remove the Northern or far from you and drive him into the parched and desolate land. His Vanguard into the Eastern Sea and his rearguard into the Western seat. The stanchion file smell of him will rise for he's done great things. They're not a land be glad and rejoice for the Lord has done great things. You're not you Beasts of the field for the pastures of the Wilderness or green the tree Bears its fruit the Fig Tree and Vine give their full yield be glad o children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord. Your God has given the early rain for your Vindication. He's poured down for you abundant rain the early in the latter rain is before the threshing floor should be full of grain The Bachelor overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming Locust has eaten the hopper the destroyer in the cutter 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 dealt wondrously with you and my people will never again be put to shame and you still know that I'm in the midst of Israel that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame and it will come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams. And your young men shall see Visions, even on the male and female servants in those days. I will pour out my spirit. So you have this promise of restoration this promise that God is going to bring blessing and be in the midst of his people again in and there's going to be this great evidence of it when the spirit is poured out, but I want you to look at verse 23 in passing if an interesting verse to me because in the Hebrew you either have the early rains translated early rains of indication in verse 23, or it could be translated teacher of righteousness. Big latto children of Zion rejoice in the Lord your God for he's giving you the early rain for your Vindication. He's poured down on you the Abundant rain the early in the latter rain is before some commentators. And I know that's super different in English how you get early rain or teacher of righteousness, but the words in the Hebrew are really close and some commentators have brought up the fact that if it is a teacher of righteousness or if there's an ambiguity on purpose, why would Joel do this and we don't have time to dig into all the details, but if he did it on purpose if the Lord is revealing this in the Hebrew could be either one. It's because it's an allusion to the book of Deuteronomy. Where you always said he was going to vindicate his people in the presence of the nation's by sending rain to heal their land and that this word play would be that the salvation of the nation would come from a teacher of righteousness. This one who's to come this a prophet like Moses. For example, Deuteronomy, 28 says that a locust plague was a sign of Greater judgment to come in particular military defeat in Exile Deuteronomy, 28 verses 38 to 68. Then Deuteronomy promises in Deuteronomy 18 that a prophet like Moses would come in the future. And in that context chapter 34, we know the prophet did not yet come to that point. And so if Joel is hinting here of a prophet like Moses a teacher of righteousness, it's still yet future when all of this is going to happen. Not only that Moses had said in the context of the conversation that he wished all the people had the spirit of God. What happened was Moses was the leader of the people and there was rumor in the can that other people were speaking and teaching and prophesying by the spirit in the camp and Moses family members, Miriam. And Aaron said, hey Moses, you need to go shut them down. That's a threat on your leadership and Moses responds and says, I wish all the people had the spirit. And so is Joel is a referring to the book of Deuteronomy, which I think he is referring to it's no surprise that right after this mention of the early rains of indication this teacher of righteousness, who comes that the spirit would be poured out in the latter days. This is basically what Joel is saying is the same thing Moses was saying in the book of Deuteronomy is that when the spirit is poured out in the last days, it will be preceded by the prophet like Moses who's coming who's the messiah? Who's the promised one the Christ and when he comes he's going to be the one who sends the spirit and that's what we heard in the book of Acts when it was red bike when Peter in his sermon he said, oh, by the way, this Jesus of Nazareth whom you crucified God has made both Christ in lordy raised him from the dead and Jesus is the one who poured out the spirit that you're now seeing and witnessing which was fulfilled. The prophecy of the Prophet Joel this verse right here. I just read 28 and 29. And so this was intended to happen from all the way back in Moses Day by the way numbers 11 is where you see Moses Desiring that would that all the Lord's people were prophets that the Lord would put his Spirit on them. And so God is promising a day in the future to his people from the perspective of Joel that this rain is coming as it were these early rains of vindication in this latter rain and that if it is a teacher of righteousness and I think it is a reference to the Messiah that when he comes verses 28 and 29 of Joel to the spirit of God going to be poured out on All Flesh and Peter says on the day of Pentecost what you're seeing is what God promised through Moses and through Joel and it's now happening and all God's people men and women all of them have the spirit of God in the New Covenant. It's what we have. And so remember I asked a question last week. How much did the people of Israel know about the coming Messiah? Will they know a lot of things about what was going to happen? When the Messiah came and what we see here in Joel is when Messiah comes in those latter days, he's going to restore all things and he's going to pour His Spirit out on All Flesh. And Peter says this is it. Credible promise fulfilled God keeps his promises. Why is it so important for us to know it will it's so important for us to know because we are clinging to the promises of God, aren't we we still live in a fallen world. We sang it earlier that he will hold us fast. Though I fear my faith May Fail. He will hold me fast. But why would he do it? Cuz he promised to and he keeps his promises. And so when we see God keeping his promises from the Old Testament or the New Testament Hallelujah. And not only that this promise of the pouring out of the spirit upon all flash. This is our great. Hope wherein dwelleth by the Holy Spirit and so we can we're in the process of being made fit for heaven being made fit for this new heavens and a new Earth where righteousness dwells. We've already been called. Holy and righteous and Saints and the spirit of God is transforming us into this righteousness and Holiness through the word as we Behold The Glory of Christ 2nd Corinthians, 3:16. Go back to Joel.

Bersa 30 down to 3:15. I will show wonders in heaven and on Earth blood and fire and Columns of smoke the sun shall be turned to Darkness in the moon to blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there should be those who escaped as the Lord has set in among the survivors Shelby Those whom the Lord calls for behold in those days and at that time when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will enter into judgment with them they're on behalf of my people in my Heritage is real because they've scattered them among the Nations and they've divided up my land and they've cast lots for my people and traded a boy for a prostitute and if sold a girl for wine and drunk it What are you to Me O Tire in sidon and all the regions of philistia. Are you paying me back for something? If you're paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily for you taking my silver in my golden carried my rich Treasures into your temples. You've sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their border behold. I will stir them up from the place to which you sold them and I will return your payment on your own head and I will send your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah and they will sell them to the civilians to a nation far away for the Lord has spoken Proclaim this among the Nations consecrate for war stir up the Mighty Men. Let all the men of War drawn near let them come up beat your plowshares into swords in your pruning hooks into Spears and let the weak say I'm a warrior hasten and come all you surrounding Nations and gather yourselves there bring down the Warriors. Oh Lord, let the nation's stir themselves up and come to the valley of Jehovah. Fat over there. I will sit to judge all the surrounding Nations put in the sickle for the Harvest is ripe go in tread for the wine presses full the Vats overflow for their evil is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision the sun and moon or dark and in the Stars withdraw their Shining so you have this salvation brought through judgment. There's going to be those who experienced the wrath of God, but also those saved and gathered into a body. Peter quotes, there's an axe to 39 and says this is This Promise is for you and your children and all who are far off everyone whom the Lord calls to himself and what we see. In the big picture, I don't have time to get into all the details is the removal of enemies verse 12 of chapter 3 is a Judicial scene. The Nations gathered before Yahweh. Matthew pictures. This is a sheep and goat judgment in Matthew 25 and two verdicts those who are sheep go into eternal life. And those who were goats go into Eternal punishment verse 13. There's a harvest seen which Isaiah picks up in the Book of Revelation in Revelation 14, and there's two Fates. There's the wheat and the chaff. The Harvest of grain is the righteous the first fruits from the earlier from earlier in the chapter. The harvesting of the crop for eternal life is Jesus speaks of in Matthew 9 and lieutenant John 4. And then you have the harvesting of the grapes the Wrath of the Lamb the wrath of God, you've heard that phrase The Grapes of Wrath because there's a famous book in English, but it came out of this picture in Joel and Isaiah and the Book of Revelation that the the harvesting of the grapes is to be put in the winepress. And God is going to tread the winepress in his anger, Isaiah. 63 is graphic in that picture. And hear Joel mentions. It's And then you have verse 14 a crowd scene multitude. This Gathering of the multitude send even the Book of Revelation picks up on this and has a two Banquets as it were the banquet with the Saints the marriage supper of the lamb and then the banquet there at the day of the Lord when Jesus returns and it's calling all of the birds of the air to Feast on those who are crushed graphic. this picture of Gods judgments

And it's interesting how you have here? Not a single person is exempt. All of the earth is called all of the peoples of the world are called.

Even the sun and moon or darkens. Picturing this Judgment Day that's coming. It's a cosmic scene verse 15 back Peter. I read it to you earlier versed in the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar in the elements will be destroyed with intense heat in the earth and its Works will be burned up. But according to his promise we're looking for a new heavens and a new Earth in which righteousness dwells. And so this judgements coming but God is promising salvation for his people in the midst of it. Look at the last few versus the verse 16 the Lord Roars from Zion glorification here at the end. He utters his voice from Jerusalem the heavens an earthquake, but the Lord is our refuge to his people a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God who dwells in Zion my Holy Mountain in Jerusalem shall be wholly and strangers shall never again pass through it. And then that day the mountain shall drip sweet wine and the hills shall flow with milk and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the valley of shittim Egypt shall be a desolation and eat them a desolate wilderness. For the violence done to the people of Judah because they shed innocent blood in their land by Judah shall be inhabited forever and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood blood. I have not Avenged for the Lord dwells in Zion reversal of the plague in the famine at the beginning now Judah has this abundance the wine in the the milk flow in the land is is blast and instead Egypt is a desolation Edom is a Wilderness. They're experiencing the Judgment of God and Joel paint this picture of a New Jerusalem and the elements of it is the Eternal safety verse 16 of those who inhabit the city the the Holiness in the character verse 17 No Stranger. No unbeliever will be there the presence of the the the River of Life in verse 18 the Water of Life the theme of eternal life in verses 18 to 21 in the fact that The New Jerusalem is the habitation of Yahweh himself in verse 21 the Lord dwells in Zion now, I want you to turn over to revelation. The Book of Revelation chapter 21 clothes with this

This is this is the end of the story. There's a good news Eden is restored Paradise regained the the promised land. The creation is transformed into a new heavens and a new Earth Revelation 21 verse 1. Then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away in the sea was no more. The garden is transformed into this New Jerusalem verse to I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband down in verse 10. He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain showed me the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God having the glory of God its Radiance like a most rare Jewel like Jasper clear as Crystal. Do you have this picture of this New Jerusalem and Vac chapter 22 one more section verse 1 the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life brightest Crystal flowing from the Throne of God in the lamb through the middle of the street of the city also on either side of the river the Tree of Life with its 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations and no longer. Will there be anything accursed but the Throne of God in the lamb will be in it and his servants will worship Him you this is the language of Joel isn't it the same picture?

Verse for they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads and night will be no more and they will need no light of lamp her son for the Lord. God will be there light and they will reign forever and ever. this remarkable, this is Everything work. We're hoping for an inverse one. It's not just the father. Not just Jesus. But even I think of reference to the holy spirit this River of the Water of Life flowing from the throne is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Remember on the last day of the great feast Jesus gets up and he says anybody believing in me out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water in the John comments. This is a reference to the spirit. That the spirit had not yet been poured out cuz Jesus had not yet ascended and this Water of Life that is bringing life to the Eternal State the new heavens and a new Earth. It's it's coming from the throne and I think it's a reference to the Holy Spirit. I'm convinced of it. And so you have all three persons of the godhead ruling on the throne forever dwelling among their people forever giving us life. In fact in John 6:63. The holy spirit is called. The one who gives life it is the spirit who gives life the one who brought life to the first creation the Holy Spirit. He's bringing life to the new creation the new heavens and new earth. And so we will be spirit-empowered for all eternity until this promise and Joel that the spirit will be poured out. It's not a temporary thing. It's for all eternity. The spirit is going to be empowering our Eternal worship of God. In fact, I got to turn 2 Revelations 7. Just look at this here in Revelation 7.

Verse 15 therefore they have they are Before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence and they shall hunger no more. Neither thirst anymore the sun shall not strike them nor any scorching heat for the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd and he will guide them to Springs of Living Water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. What a beautiful picture. This is what we long for this world is not our home. We know it. It's it's at c.s. Lewis said it's a shadowlands. It's a shadow of the world to come back as a beautiful picture in his book the last battle than the Narnia series as the kids go through that that gate into heaven as it were the way he describes as he says all the greens are greener. All the blues are Bluer. There's no way to describe it other than it's more real. It's more solidly real than this world.

This is Our Hope And like the people of Israel who had been distracted by the things of the world around them the idols in the pleasures in the the gist the wine and the food in the day-to-day living and they they just had forgotten God. It's so easy for us to do the same. To just go about our life forgetting God. Being distracted by the abundance we have is Americans being distracted by. the idols that we have in our life God says return to me Rend your hearts. So that you would live. And yes a day of judgment is coming because he's holding righteous. But in the context of Joel you see it's his judgment comes to ultimately defend his people.

So that he will establish righteousness on the Earth. That when you turn to him. As he says and do you find him to be gracious and compassionate? Slow to anger abounding in steadfast love and the one who were Lentz concerning disaster. What a promise. What a hope. This is the character of our God Revelation describes it as we're going to be with him forever and he's going to wipe every tear from their eyes. And still be no more in darkness will be no more in righteousness will dwell in God's going to be with us since we're his children and he's our father.

I'm going to serve him and worship Him day and night forever Hallelujah father. Thank you for this word and our time in your word. I can be hard to hear.

It can be hard to hear about judgement. I can be so easy to think that judgments not coming to ignore the alarms. Attune ourselves out from the alarms and say all judgments not coming to think because you haven't brought judgment that you won't send yet. We know it's coming. And yet in your graciousness in your compassion you've offered. you've offered hope and salvation and stay return to me and turn to the Lord and

father. Thank you. Thank you that you've given us this hope and in Jesus. We know that in Joel the Messiah was yet to come but we know here on this side of the cross that your son is Jesus the Christ the Messiah he was the promised one and he poured out the spirit. He asked you to send the spirit. And you've given us?