Refuge From Wrath

yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning, 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.

Again, God calls upon his covenant name that he had given to his people, and he provides mercy. Chapter two ends with this prophecy that is then quoted again later in Acts chapter two, this promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is yet to come. It says there near the end of chapter two,

and it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and 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 once again, pointing ahead to the time beyond the context of when this prophecy was initially given to a time when God will pour out his spirit on all flesh. And of course, we see that happen in the book of Acts. After Jesus has come and lived and died and been risen back to life, and he's ascended back to the right hand of the Father, he gives the Holy Spirit to all who would believe. The Spirit falls on all flesh. And once again, chapter two ends with this promise of the coming day of the Lord. Chapter three continues on this day of the Lord theme, which is no surprise, but this is the final day of the Lord now that is referring to, this final judgment that is yet to come. Joel in this book as a whole wants his readers to see that God is a righteous judge who punishes evil both the evil of his people and the evil of his enemies, and also that he is a God who mercifully restores. And now for our text for today, in chapter three, there are three main themes that I want to try to follow through this text today. The first is the future gathering of the sinful nations, the gathering of the sinful nations. The second one is God's vindication of his people through righteous judgment and wrath. So judgment would be the second point. And the third point would be God's merciful refuge for his people. Refuge. So again, their first point is gathering, second is judgment, and the third is refuge. And I hope today that God's spirit speaking through this text will help us to see that the final day of the Lord is coming where God will gather the nations and judge them for their sins under the fierceness of his wrath, but he will be a refuge for his vindicated people. Let's look at verse one of our text together. So this is chapter three, verse one, and the first point, which is gathering. So our text begins with giving us a time frame. It says,

in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem.

Now, it doesn't seem that Joel is intending to communicate an exact chronology in this timeframe that he's given. However, it does clearly tie it back to the end of chapter two, the beginning of chapter three with the end of chapter two, which is, like we said, this apocalyptic final day of the Lord that is yet to come. And later verses hint at what God meant when he says that he will restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. Meaning that someday, in some future day, the people of God will have been scattered across the world by the nations. And as the nations are gathered on that final day of the Lord, judgment will be poured out on the faithlessness, while God's people of faith will be rewarded. Most of our texts' emphasis today is on the nations and the judgment that God will bring on those nations. But then we also see some reference to God's people, Judah and Jerusalem. And in our context today, I think we can understand that as the idea of people of faith, God's covenant people of faith. Continuing to speak, God says in verse two,

I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them.

" Here we see God plainly stating his intent to gather the whole world to this valley of Jehoshaphat, which you could literally translate as the valley of Yahweh's judgment. This valley probably doesn't refer to a specific geographic location, because as far as we know, there isn't a geographic location called the Valley of Jehoshaphat, but instead is a symbolic description of a place where God's judgment will be poured out on the final day. So God is planning a gathering, we see, a gathering where the sinful nations will be judged. I want to briefly jump ahead now to verses nine to 12, because they kind of function as an invitation to this future gathering, an invitation to the nations to come to this future gathering. So, do you know those kinds of events that you get sent an invitation to? And you RSVP yes, and you attend the event, but in hindsight, you kind of wish that you had never gone. I think we all kind of know what we're talking about. And I think this definitely would have been one of those kinds of situations for the nations of the earth. Because this invitation that's being given, that they're asking to attend, is an invitation to come and be judged by God. In all seriousness, these verses, beginning in verse nine, were to be proclaimed like a herald to the nations. War and battle imagery is used as the nations are called to consecrate for war and let all of the men of war draw near. The irony of this call to arms is pretty hard to miss. These nations are being given a call to come and battle it out with the all-powerful God of the universe. Still, we should only stretch this battle imagery so far because when the nations arrive, rather than a long and drawn out Hollywood style battle scene, the nations are completely and utterly crushed under the wrath of God as punishment for their sins. Seems kind of intense, am I right? Why exactly were these nations being gathered for judgment? I mean, of course, generally, we could say because of their sin, and that is enough. Even minor sin against a perfect and holy God must be punished. If we look back toward the beginning of our text, though, we're given specific reasons why these sinful nations were being judged. God speaking in our text gives two reasons for the gathering and judgment of the nations. And we could summarize them like this. The first reason in verses two and then five and six is a disregard for God and his people. And the second reason is a complete disregard for the image of God in mankind. So a disregard for God and his people and a disregard for the image of God in mankind. Let's look at them individually and see what our text says. So first, a disregard for God and his people. God says in verse two that he would gather the nations because they have scattered his people across the lands. God's love for his chosen people, the people of Israel, is intense. And those who disregard them will not be spared judgment on the last day. Because when the enemies of God mistreat the people of God, it is first and foremost an offense against and a rejection of God's gift of grace. Verses five and six continue to describe further rejection of God and his grace and God's people. And all of these rejections of God's grace will be punished. Yet our text here is not giving us the liberty to take justice into our own hands when we are wronged and when we are rejected. Romans 12 verse 19 reminds us that justice belongs to God. It says,

beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.

And likewise here, it is God who will punish all evil on this final day of judgment, including those who've mistreated God and his people and treated them with disregard. God will surely vindicate his people. The second reason given for God's gathering of judgment of the nations is, as I mentioned, a complete disregard for the image of God in mankind. We see that in verse three. It's difficult to even read the descriptions of the nation's treatment of children at the end of verse three.

and they've traded a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

How low must mankind stoop to treat the vulnerable with such blatant lack of care just for simple fleeting pleasures? Trading a boy for a prostitute. literally selling a child into slavery for cheap sexual thrill. Trading one's daughter, selling her into slavery for nothing more than one night to get drunk, to forget life's worries, only to wake up with those worries very much still there. And now that daughter is someone else's slave. It's horrible. It's disgusting. One might have rightly cried out in this time, how long, oh Lord, will you allow this evil to continue? Yet, couldn't these words just as easily describe our Western civilization today? And that's both where we live in Sweden and here in the US. We, as a society, trade our children for cheap, fleeting pleasures. Sexual thrill without consequences to self. Lifestyles aimed at living from one cheap thrill to the next, where children are a burden rather than a blessing. And of course, I'm talking about that our societies don't even give children the opportunity to be born. We slaughter them in the womb without even the slightest regard that these most vulnerable people are created in the image of God. Just like these evil nations. Our children too, though unborn, are traded for autonomy, for sexual freedom, and for pure hedonistic pleasure. How long, oh Lord, will you allow this evil to continue? Have mercy on us, oh God. We'll say that if you were here today and abortion is a part of your past, that you are not without hope. Just as Israel called out in repentance and found merciful relief, we too, all of us who are sinners, find merciful relief in Jesus Christ. So if you find yourself filled with guilt or regret over past decisions, turn to Jesus. If you are filled with doubt, fear over judgment, turn to Jesus. For those who are in Christ, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. So whoever you are and wherever you are coming from, grace upon grace abounds for you if you are in Christ. Let's continue to look at God's response to these gathered sinful nations. brings us to our second point, which is judgment. Let it be said that God is perfect in all of his ways. Not one thing that he does strays even a millimeter from his perfection. God is righteous, he is holy, he is set apart completely, completely other than everything in creation. Everything that he does is of complete moral purity and perfection. And because that is true, sin can have no place in the presence of a holy God. And thus it's God's just and righteous response to any sin to bring it under judgment and to pour out his righteous wrath upon it. It's grace upon grace that this outpouring of wrath doesn't happen at the very moment of sin. In that case, there would be no hope for any of us. But God in his mercy displayed throughout the scriptures has chosen to withhold that final decisive judgment until the last day. Right now, God, in his mercy, spares mankind the decisive kind of judgment that we see in our text. But Joel 3 describes that very coming final day of judgment where the Lord will no longer pass over sin. There, the nations gathered in the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of God's judgment, God's righteous day of judgment will have come. The time for repentance will be over. Beginning in verse four, it continues with God addressing these nations. It says,

what are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regents of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something?

Once again, these nations have brought destruction on the people of God. And how does it say that he will respond twice, both in verse four and in verse seven, it says that he will return their payment upon their own head. In other words, in accordance with the evil that they have done, they will be judged and punished. And on that final cosmic day of the Lord, when all of the earth is gathered for judgment, God will see their deeds and their wickedness in their hearts, and they will be judged for it. This prophecy was certainly intended to stir a fear of the Lord in the hearts of its hearers, including us today. but it was also meant to be a comfort to the people of God. Israel and Judah had long suffered at the hands of evil enemies. And though they suffered now, these evil nations would not go unpunished. The God of the universe who sees all, hears all, and knows all, he would punish these evildoers who presently tormented his people. Israel would be vindicated. The people of God suffer today as well at the hands of wicked and evil people. I don't know if you read about this, but just a few days ago, right before Christmas, more than 200 Nigerians were slaughtered by Muslim extremists in predominantly Christian villages in Nigeria as they prepared to celebrate Christmas. And that's following more than 500 Christians being murdered similarly in Nigeria over the summer. And that's just one recent example. even across the Western world, probably even more intensely where we live in Sweden than in the US, but including America as well, individuals and governments revile those who wholeheartedly live for Jesus. And just as these promises of judgment of the earth were to give hope to the people of Israel, they should also give hope to us today. And that's not saying that we're to play the victim here, not at all. No, rather that we would hope and trust in God. Regardless of what kind of mistreatment God's people experience here on this earth, God will vindicate his people. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. So let us too take hope in a God who promises to judge all wickedness and all evil. What does the text tell us that this judgment would look like? Frankly, the images are terrifying and it should be. Verses 12 and 13 continue saying, there I, and that's God,

will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

There's such graphic metaphors. First, the harvest is ripe. The Bible is full of all kinds of harvest imagery, and one text that nearly directly parallels this text comes from Revelation chapter 14. Starting in Revelation 14 verse 15, it says this. says,

and another angel came out of the temple calling out with a loud voice to him who sat on a cloud. Put in your sickle and reap for the hour to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth and the earth was reaped.

Both of these judgments, both the judgment in Joel chapter 3 and the judgment described in Revelation chapter 14 refer to the same future day of the Lord when all sin will be judged. and both use the same language, acknowledging that the harvest is ripe. In other words, that sin and evil of the world has come to a point where it is ready to be judged. The sin and evil themselves are fully matured, ripe for harvest. God in his patience has waited. He has extended again and again the opportunity for repentance and turning back to him. But a day will come, this future day of harvest, and on that day, the opportunity for repentance will be over. On that day, God will, as this text says, put in the sickle and cut down the unrepentant nations in his judgment. Joel 3 verse 13 says that the wine press is full. And Revelation 14 actually continues to precisely mirror this image. It says in verse 19, so this is Revelation 14 verse 19, it says,

so the angel swung his sickle across the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Have you ever seen a traditional wine press before? The old style that's a big wooden box where the grapes are gathered after the harvest in this top section, and then the workers come, they step into this upper portion of the wine press and they tread on the grapes. They literally stomp them with their feet again and again and again, crushing the grapes until all of the grapes are completely pulverized. Nothing resembling a grape would remain at the end of this process. just the grape juice flowing out of the bottom into the big vats for collection. Such will be the judgment of God and the wine press of his wrath. Revelation 14 goes on to say in verse 20,

and the wine press was trodden outside of the city. and the blood flowed from the wine press as high as a horse's bridle for 1,600 stadia.

And for our modern comparison, that's about 183 miles. The vats overflow, Joel says, for their evil is great. On that day of the outpouring of the wrath of God, in the winepress of his wrath, every single evil deed, every unrighteous action, word or thought, it will be judged. And those unrepentant sinners who were judged will no more be able to resist that judgment than a grape can succumb to being pressed by a foot. This is justice. The time for repentance will be over and the time for absolute judgment will have arrived. And as it says in verse 14, as the multitudes and multitudes gather in the valley of decision, the time for man's decision will have passed. In well-meaning evangelistic crusades, this is sometimes wrongly interpreted as the valley where mankind will be allowed a final decision. But this interpretation ignores the entire context of the passage. Because at this point on the day of the Lord, humankind's opportunity for decision and repentance has come and has gone. The valley of decision is a decision of God and God alone. God is a righteous and ruling judge who will decide as he judges and prepares to pour out his wrath on all sin. He who knows all will judge sin perfectly and justly, deciding where to pour out his righteous wrath. Verses 15 and 16 continue speaking of the terrifying physical effects of that judgment. everything will become darker than night. The sun and the moon and the stars will cease to shine and God will roar in judgment. On that future day, the heavens and the earth will tremble and quake. Awful and terrifying is that coming day of the Lord. Who can hope to stand before a holy God and give an account on that day? Who in this room can rightly say that they're without fault and should be spared from the wine press of the wrath of God? On our own, we can't. No one, not one. Where then can we God's people flee to for refuge? Our third point is refuge. beginning in verse 16. It says,

but the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.

But the Lord is a refuge to his people. God has declared through the prophet Joel that his people, the people of Israel, would in fact have refuge on that final day. And where is this refuge? The text says that the Lord himself, God himself is the refuge for his people. How incredible that the king of the universe is a refuge and stronghold to his people. This is also curious. What did it just previously say that he is the refuge from? What is the text saying? It's not saying that he's their refuge from some kind of abstract evil or Satan, though God is a refuge from that for his people. It's not saying that he's their refuge from abstract trials or suffering. The text points to the fact that God's people need refuge from God himself. that in that too, God is a refuge from people for his people. That the people of God find refuge in God from God. Here in the text, the wrath of God that God's people, it is the wrath of God that God's people need rescuing from. It's the very wrath that God is pouring out on that final day of judgment that God's people need to need refuge from. And he provides it. He is their refuge and their stronghold. He is the safe place where they reside and are protected. But how, how can God overlook sin and provide refuge for his people? It brings us. to a truth that is very good news for us. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21 says,

for our sake, God made him, Jesus, to be sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ has done what we could not. Apart from him, every one of us would be rightly numbered among the faithless who were to be judged for the rejection of grace and the disregard for the image of God that we see in mankind. Without Christ on that final day, all of mankind, every single one of us here today would stand condemned under judgment. But Christ, who is God in human flesh, fully God and fully man, He took the wrath of God upon himself on a cross so that we don't have to. He who did not sin became sin on the cross so that all who receive his gift of grace can receive forgiveness for their sins. We can be justified. we can be made right with God. And on that final day of the Lord, all of the people of God, all who are in Christ, they will find refuge and security. And so as points of application, first and foremost, If you are here today and you have never acknowledged your own sin before a holy God, and you have not acknowledged your complete inability to save yourself from the wrath of God that you rightly deserve, do not let this day pass you by. Today, while there is still hope, call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Confess your sinfulness. You cannot save yourself. Turn to Jesus as your King, the only one who can save you through his perfect life, death, and resurrection. While there is still time to decide, I urge you to repent and believe. The day of the Lord that we have read about in this text, it's coming. And on that day in the valley of decision, the only decision that will be made is the one concerning the judgment of a holy and just God. Today, turn to Jesus, confess your sins and find refuge in him. For those of us who are in Christ, there are four points of application. First, we too should confess our sins. Let us not take lightly our own sin against a holy God. The wrath to be poured out upon all who do not believe is what we all rightly deserve because of our rejection of God. Confess your sins. and rejoice that

if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Secondly, fear God and trust that he will vindicate his people. God is holy. God is righteous. He is a just king. Throughout the scriptures, we are exhorted to fear God. Our text today should move each of our hearts toward greater humility and a higher view of the holiness of our God. Meditate on the scriptures, this text and others, and ask God to give you by his Holy Spirit a heart that fears him more. Fear God. Thirdly, preach the gospel. 2 Corinthians 6-2 reminds us that

now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

So while there is still time, while the day of salvation remains, preach Christ to a dying world. The day of the Lord is approaching at a time that is only known to God. In the meantime, proclaim Christ to a perishing people that they too might stand in Christ as their refuge on that final day. Preach the gospel. And fourth and finally, rejoice in Christ, our only refuge and stronghold. Jesus Christ is our only hope. And apart from the gospel, we cannot hope to stand on that final day of the Lord, but in Christ, we can have great joy and complete confidence that our stronghold and refuge are sure. What a contrast with the ferocity of God's judgment. We have been spared from the winepress of the wrath of God, which we completely deserve. But instead, we've been welcomed into his family. In Christ, we can each experience and know God. In Christ, you now, and on that final day of judgment, are completely secure. Completely secure. Do we realize the weight of that? In Jesus, our refuge, we have complete and total security that cannot be taken away. The Lord Jesus Christ is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to his church. So rejoice, be glad, praise him. Would you pray with me? Oh, Father in heaven, we confess that our hearts are evil and wicked. We acknowledge that we deserve judgment and we rejoice that we have found safety and security in Jesus Christ, our stronghold. Would you move our hearts to a higher view of you by your spirit? Would you move us into to deep worship? And would you send us out to proclaim Christ to the lost? In Jesus name, amen.