1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:15,760 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website, www.openthebible.org. 3 00:00:15,760 –> 00:00:20,580 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:20,580 –> 00:00:25,540 This is the last in our short series on the remarkable book of Joel. 5 00:00:25,540 –> 00:00:28,940 For many of us, I think, more familiar than it was before. 6 00:00:28,940 –> 00:00:33,480 I have never preached a series of sermons on this book of the Bible, but every part 7 00:00:33,480 –> 00:00:35,240 of the Bible is the Word of God. 8 00:00:35,240 –> 00:00:41,840 And we have felt, I think, already in this series how wonderfully, this part of the scripture 9 00:00:41,840 –> 00:00:44,480 speaks into our lives. 10 00:00:44,480 –> 00:00:51,900 In time of great devastation, Joel calls the people of God to lament and to repent. 11 00:00:51,900 –> 00:00:56,540 We saw he gave two wonderful promises, one for the immediate time of these people to 12 00:00:56,639 –> 00:00:59,400 whom he wrote, and still for us today. 13 00:00:59,400 –> 00:01:03,700 I will restore the years that the locusts have eaten, God says. 14 00:01:03,700 –> 00:01:09,360 Wasted years, I will give back to you that which has been lost. 15 00:01:09,360 –> 00:01:14,739 And this restoration is at the very heart of what this book is all about. 16 00:01:14,739 –> 00:01:20,099 And then Joel will give that great promise that was for beyond his own time, I will, 17 00:01:20,099 –> 00:01:26,019 God says, pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and last week we looked at all that that means 18 00:01:26,300 –> 00:01:32,220 us as Christian Believers, to receive and to know the presence of God’s Holy Spirit 19 00:01:32,220 –> 00:01:36,820 in each of our lives and all that we face from day to day. 20 00:01:36,820 –> 00:01:42,940 And in this last chapter, Joel and Chapter 3, Joel paints as it were on an even broader 21 00:01:42,940 –> 00:01:48,099 canvas, and speaks about the day of the Lord, or the day of judgment you might say. 22 00:01:48,099 –> 00:01:54,320 He brings a global message, a message that every person needs to hear, in which God speaks 23 00:01:54,440 –> 00:01:59,900 about this day, of ultimate importance in regards to all of our lives. 24 00:01:59,900 –> 00:02:05,919 Now, I’m very aware that as we come to church, for many of us, there’s a sense of the thing 25 00:02:05,919 –> 00:02:11,179 we just did, and then there’s the thing we’re about to do, and life moves on with its relentless 26 00:02:11,179 –> 00:02:13,360 schedule. 27 00:02:13,360 –> 00:02:22,839 It is really important from time to time, to stop and to think what really matters? 28 00:02:22,979 –> 00:02:29,139 I’ve noticed that people who succeed in various spheres do this really well. 29 00:02:29,139 –> 00:02:33,600 I was talking to someone very successful in business just this week, who said to me, you 30 00:02:33,600 –> 00:02:39,339 know, a key thing for a business leader is, in the middle of all the busyness, to schedule 31 00:02:39,339 –> 00:02:44,539 some time and to ask the question, what do I most need to be doing in order for this 32 00:02:44,539 –> 00:02:46,179 to be moving forward? 33 00:02:46,179 –> 00:02:48,179 Busyness isn’t leading. 34 00:02:48,179 –> 00:02:49,339 And it’s the same in a family. 35 00:02:49,339 –> 00:02:52,779 In the relentlessness of schedules. 36 00:02:52,779 –> 00:02:56,960 Sometimes it’s important to stop and say, what do we need to change in this family so 37 00:02:56,960 –> 00:02:58,979 that the family can thrive? 38 00:02:58,979 –> 00:03:04,300 Otherwise we’re just being driven by some kind of calendar that pushes us relentlessly 39 00:03:04,300 –> 00:03:05,300 forward. 40 00:03:05,300 –> 00:03:07,160 It’s the same with students. 41 00:03:07,160 –> 00:03:12,679 The wise student is someone who looks at where she or he wants to be, looks at people who 42 00:03:12,679 –> 00:03:17,500 are doing what they want to do, and then ask the question, what skills do I need to learn? 43 00:03:17,500 –> 00:03:18,779 What do I need to become? 44 00:03:18,779 –> 00:03:24,360 What do I need to gain in order to do that really, really well? 45 00:03:24,360 –> 00:03:28,820 Now take all of that and move it a level higher. 46 00:03:28,820 –> 00:03:32,520 And today we’re asking the question beyond career, beyond family, beyond studies and 47 00:03:32,520 –> 00:03:36,639 all that, think about your life. 48 00:03:36,639 –> 00:03:39,300 Think about your eternity. 49 00:03:39,300 –> 00:03:44,600 Think about the fact that you are an undying soul. 50 00:03:44,600 –> 00:03:48,539 What do you need to prepare for? 51 00:03:48,539 –> 00:03:55,320 What is it that really matters, ultimately, in terms of the outcome of your life? 52 00:03:55,320 –> 00:04:01,059 And right here in Jolyn chapter three, we have God himself speaking to us directly and 53 00:04:01,059 –> 00:04:05,699 saying here is what you need to attend to, there’s something here that is bigger than 54 00:04:05,699 –> 00:04:10,119 everything that is so pressing upon you right now and it is the day of the Lord because 55 00:04:10,119 –> 00:04:16,859 nothing will change your life more than the decision that God makes about you on the Day 56 00:04:16,859 –> 00:04:17,859 of Judgment. 57 00:04:18,640 –> 00:04:21,359 And so that’s what this last chapter of the book of Joel is about. 58 00:04:21,359 –> 00:04:22,559 Now, I’ve got three headings. 59 00:04:22,559 –> 00:04:28,700 The first is to see from this book why there will be a judgment, why there has to be a 60 00:04:28,700 –> 00:04:33,700 judgment, why the only hope of the world is that there will be a judgment. 61 00:04:33,700 –> 00:04:35,320 That’s the first thing. 62 00:04:35,320 –> 00:04:37,600 Second, what will this judgment be like? 63 00:04:37,600 –> 00:04:40,040 It’s almost unimaginable. 64 00:04:40,040 –> 00:04:46,679 But Joel paints a picture for us that is powerful and compelling. 65 00:04:46,679 –> 00:04:48,920 And then the third part will be this. 66 00:04:48,920 –> 00:04:50,420 Where can you find refuge? 67 00:04:50,420 –> 00:04:52,480 We’re looking at this awesome truth. 68 00:04:52,480 –> 00:04:55,640 And therefore, we need to know how can we prepare for this? 69 00:04:55,640 –> 00:04:59,079 And how can we find refuge in the light of it? 70 00:04:59,079 –> 00:05:04,459 So, I hope you have a Bible and that you will have it open to see what God says. 71 00:05:04,459 –> 00:05:08,440 And we begin at the start of chapter 3, why there will be a judgment. 72 00:05:08,440 –> 00:05:12,799 Now, notice here that God makes three direct personal statements. 73 00:05:12,899 –> 00:05:18,720 Number one, I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. 74 00:05:18,720 –> 00:05:22,279 That word restore is really the keyword as we’ve seen of the whole book. 75 00:05:22,279 –> 00:05:27,720 I will restore the years that the locusts have eaten and now I will restore the fortunes 76 00:05:27,720 –> 00:05:31,760 of Judah and of Jerusalem. 77 00:05:31,760 –> 00:05:34,880 And then God goes on to speak of how he will do this. 78 00:05:34,880 –> 00:05:37,040 How will this restoration come about? 79 00:05:37,040 –> 00:05:38,480 Here’s how it will happen. 80 00:05:39,299 –> 00:05:42,239 He says, I will gather all nations. 81 00:05:42,239 –> 00:05:45,200 That is an extraordinary phrase. 82 00:05:45,200 –> 00:05:46,200 Think what that means. 83 00:05:46,200 –> 00:05:51,380 God says, I will gather all nations. 84 00:05:51,380 –> 00:06:03,500 France, Britain, United States of America, the vast populations of India, China, Russia. 85 00:06:03,500 –> 00:06:07,859 God says, I will gather all nations. 86 00:06:08,859 –> 00:06:12,279 This is the creator speaking. 87 00:06:12,279 –> 00:06:16,200 Now, most of us have experienced being in a very large crowd. 88 00:06:16,200 –> 00:06:22,600 I know some of you were in a crowd of a million people in Washington a few years ago. 89 00:06:22,600 –> 00:06:28,899 Some of you may have been in a crowd of more than a million, but however large a crowd 90 00:06:28,899 –> 00:06:34,420 you may have been part of a mega event, this is something all together on a different scale. 91 00:06:34,420 –> 00:06:39,880 The gathering of all nations, only God Himself could orchestrate this. 92 00:06:39,880 –> 00:06:46,179 And if you ask me where or how exactly will God do this, I cannot tell you. 93 00:06:46,179 –> 00:06:50,320 Joel speaks in verse 2 here about the valley of Jehoshaphat. 94 00:06:50,320 –> 00:06:54,899 He will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. 95 00:06:54,899 –> 00:07:00,959 There is not a place on the map that bears that name and this is the only time in the 96 00:07:01,000 –> 00:07:05,040 This chapter is the only time in the Bible that the valley of Jehoshaphat is referred 97 00:07:05,040 –> 00:07:10,779 to and it may be that the significance is in the meaning of the name rather than in 98 00:07:10,779 –> 00:07:13,859 trying to identify a location. 99 00:07:13,859 –> 00:07:17,359 Jehoshaphat means God has judged. 100 00:07:17,359 –> 00:07:22,459 And so when God says I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, he is saying 101 00:07:22,459 –> 00:07:30,540 I will bring them to the place of judgment and I will enter into judgment with them there. 102 00:07:30,660 –> 00:07:31,299 There. 103 00:07:32,820 –> 00:07:36,679 Now notice that as God makes this very clear statement, we’re a church that wants to 104 00:07:36,679 –> 00:07:43,519 take the Bible seriously because we believe it is the word of God, He goes on to say that 105 00:07:43,519 –> 00:07:48,959 the judgment of nations will have special reference to the way that the nations have 106 00:07:48,959 –> 00:07:51,739 treated God’s people Israel. 107 00:07:51,739 –> 00:07:58,899 Verse two, I will enter into judgment with them, that’s the nations there on behalf of 108 00:07:58,980 –> 00:08:03,299 my people and my heritage Israel. 109 00:08:03,299 –> 00:08:07,779 Now you don’t need me to tell you that great evils were done against God’s people Israel 110 00:08:07,779 –> 00:08:14,519 in the Old Testament times and greater evils have been done against them in the history 111 00:08:14,519 –> 00:08:17,899 since the time of the Old Testament. 112 00:08:17,899 –> 00:08:25,820 All of these evils are known to God, none of them will ever be forgotten and God states 113 00:08:25,820 –> 00:08:33,280 quite clearly here that every one of them will be brought to account. 114 00:08:33,280 –> 00:08:40,280 Particular charges are brought by God here charges for which nations will come into judgment 115 00:08:40,280 –> 00:08:49,179 verse three they have cast lots for my people and have traded a boy for a prostitute and 116 00:08:49,960 –> 00:08:54,599 now the muggers have sold a girl for wine now we have a name for that today we call 117 00:08:54,599 –> 00:09:01,739 that human trafficking and that was happening in the time of the Old Testament. 118 00:09:01,739 –> 00:09:06,739 It was an obscenity that the nations indulged in and it is an obscenity that the nations 119 00:09:06,739 –> 00:09:13,359 still indulge in in our world today and we see these things happening and we say why 120 00:09:13,359 –> 00:09:17,599 now they were happening hundreds and hundreds of years ago even in the Old Testament. 121 00:09:18,599 –> 00:09:20,299 The world does not seem to change. 122 00:09:20,299 –> 00:09:25,140 Will there ever come a time where there is justice in the world in regards to these awful 123 00:09:25,140 –> 00:09:27,320 atrocities? 124 00:09:27,320 –> 00:09:30,880 And the answer of the Bible is yes. 125 00:09:30,880 –> 00:09:33,039 God will bring justice. 126 00:09:33,039 –> 00:09:34,039 God will do it. 127 00:09:34,039 –> 00:09:38,000 He says I will gather the nations and I will bring them into the judgment and I will do 128 00:09:38,000 –> 00:09:44,280 this in relation to the great evils that have taken place across human history. 129 00:09:44,320 –> 00:09:46,840 The New Testament says the same thing many times. 130 00:09:46,840 –> 00:09:55,099 Acts chapter 17 puts it this way, that God has set a day on which He will judge the world 131 00:09:55,099 –> 00:09:57,780 and He will do it in righteousness. 132 00:09:57,780 –> 00:10:01,880 That is what God says He will do and that is what God will do. 133 00:10:01,880 –> 00:10:03,640 On that day, I will gather all people. 134 00:10:03,640 –> 00:10:07,239 I will bring them down into the place of judgment. 135 00:10:07,239 –> 00:10:11,500 And what will be judged, of course, will not be limited to, it will include but not be 136 00:10:11,539 –> 00:10:15,900 limited to sins that are committed against Israel. 137 00:10:15,900 –> 00:10:18,719 It will include all sins, all evil. 138 00:10:18,719 –> 00:10:24,419 And if you look at verse 13 the, the necessity of a judgment is made very clear because God 139 00:10:24,419 –> 00:10:30,119 says their evil is great. 140 00:10:30,119 –> 00:10:35,159 And friends, human evil is great. 141 00:10:35,479 –> 00:10:42,400 And not one of the atrocities or one of the sins of human history is ever forgotten by 142 00:10:42,400 –> 00:10:43,559 God. 143 00:10:43,559 –> 00:10:50,679 See, we live in a culture where we have a window in the world that is selected for us 144 00:10:50,679 –> 00:10:53,400 by the media. 145 00:10:53,400 –> 00:11:01,179 And when an atrocity, or a genocide, or a mass murder, or a shooting takes place we, 146 00:11:01,179 –> 00:11:03,539 our minds are filled with it through that media. 147 00:11:03,559 –> 00:11:07,700 And then it goes on for a few days until a decision is made that the next story is more 148 00:11:07,700 –> 00:11:10,320 important. 149 00:11:10,320 –> 00:11:17,119 And then the story that was the attention of the people moves away and life moves on 150 00:11:17,119 –> 00:11:25,080 and forgotten people are left with an extraordinary sense of injustice and does anyone care? 151 00:11:25,080 –> 00:11:28,099 Does anyone know? 152 00:11:28,099 –> 00:11:31,239 And the answer is God knows. 153 00:11:31,239 –> 00:11:38,380 I was just pondering when I was looking at verse 30, their evil is great. 154 00:11:38,380 –> 00:11:44,119 We have immediate atrocities that are in our minds right now. 155 00:11:44,119 –> 00:11:48,960 How much thought has been given around the world in the last week to the half a million 156 00:11:48,960 –> 00:11:59,119 people who were slaughtered in Rwanda between April and June, just three months, in 1994 157 00:11:59,179 –> 00:12:05,880 and nearly half of that half million were young children. 158 00:12:05,880 –> 00:12:08,919 Caught the attention of the world and then we moved on. 159 00:12:08,919 –> 00:12:13,059 But, never forgotten by God. 160 00:12:13,059 –> 00:12:17,559 I will bring justice, I will bring judgement. 161 00:12:17,559 –> 00:12:21,799 I will enter into judgement with the nations. 162 00:12:21,799 –> 00:12:28,940 What about the 1.6 million killed in Cambodia between 1975-1978. 163 00:12:28,940 –> 00:12:34,099 The time of the Khmer Rouge, great attention of the world at that time. 164 00:12:34,099 –> 00:12:40,140 And the atrocities were discovered, and then the world moves on. 165 00:12:40,140 –> 00:12:46,219 God says I will bring the nations to judgement, there will be justice. 166 00:12:46,219 –> 00:12:52,739 What about the 6 million Jewish men and what is the number when the women and the children 167 00:12:53,359 –> 00:13:01,640 Who were exterminated in the 1930s, the 1940s in Europe. 168 00:13:01,640 –> 00:13:08,520 Or the 20 million who were purged in Russia, during the time of Stalin. 169 00:13:08,520 –> 00:13:16,039 And you have to be more than double that number to get to the number of lives taken by abortion 170 00:13:16,200 –> 00:13:25,559 in the United States since 1973, which now is over 56 million lives that were snuffed 171 00:13:25,559 –> 00:13:30,960 out by human choice. 172 00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:40,599 Their evil is great and I will enter into judgment with the nations. 173 00:13:40,640 –> 00:13:46,820 God has books and God has a bottle. 174 00:13:46,840 –> 00:13:54,659 Bible tells us, God has books, in which He records all human evil. 175 00:13:54,659 –> 00:13:58,520 Nothing is ever hidden from Him. 176 00:13:58,520 –> 00:14:03,039 Nothing is ever forgotten by Him. 177 00:14:03,039 –> 00:14:08,260 And God has a bottle, Psalm 56 and verse 8, a beautiful image. 178 00:14:08,859 –> 00:14:14,299 The Bible speaks about God gathering human tears in His bottle. 179 00:14:14,320 –> 00:14:20,479 In other words, not only does God know from the books every act of evil, every atrocity, 180 00:14:20,479 –> 00:14:27,140 every sin, every act of violence that has ever taken place in the history of the world, 181 00:14:27,140 –> 00:14:33,539 but He knows every tear that has been shed as a result of human cruelty in words and 182 00:14:33,580 –> 00:14:40,580 in actions and in violence. And not any of it is ever loss. 183 00:14:43,320 –> 00:14:48,479 One writer, David Pryor, picks up on the books and the bottle in the Bible and says this, 184 00:14:48,479 –> 00:14:53,020 God’s memory and his attention to detail do not chop and change like our contemporary 185 00:14:53,020 –> 00:15:00,020 media according to the latest disaster or genocide. God has both books and a bottle. 186 00:15:00,440 –> 00:15:03,820 And together, they are more accurate than the world’s most up-to-date computer with 187 00:15:03,820 –> 00:15:10,820 the latest software and they have limitless capacity. God sees the evils of human history 188 00:15:12,239 –> 00:15:19,239 and He never forgets. And on the day of the Lord, these books will be opened. That’s how 189 00:15:20,000 –> 00:15:25,940 it’s put in the book of Revelation. In chapter 20, the books will be opened, and what has 190 00:15:25,940 –> 00:15:32,059 been done will be brought to account. And none of it will be forgotten. Every crime, 191 00:15:32,059 –> 00:15:38,159 every sin, every evil thought, every secret will be revealed, Jesus says. And the things 192 00:15:38,159 –> 00:15:44,260 that are hidden in darkness will be fully disclosed. This is the day that Joel is speaking 193 00:15:44,260 –> 00:15:51,260 about here. And it a day that has to come because their evil is great. Verse 13. That’s 194 00:15:52,260 –> 00:15:59,299 why the only way there can be a restoration in verse 1 if there is a judgement. Because 195 00:15:59,299 –> 00:16:05,000 without a judgement all that happens is that human history goes on in its cycles of violence 196 00:16:05,000 –> 00:16:11,780 continuing from one generation to another. World without end. But God says I’m going 197 00:16:11,780 –> 00:16:15,280 to step in. I’m going to bring all of that to judgement. I’m going to bring it to an 198 00:16:15,280 –> 00:16:17,979 end. And then there is going to be a new heaven. And then there is going to be a new earth. 199 00:16:18,119 –> 00:16:23,179 And then there will be a home of righteousness. The restoration is only possible because of 200 00:16:23,179 –> 00:16:31,099 and through the judgement So that is why there is a judgement that is spoken of throughout 201 00:16:31,099 –> 00:16:36,179 scripture, why there will be a judgement. I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. 202 00:16:36,179 –> 00:16:43,820 I believe that this will happen. And if you don’t, I tremble for you. Because God says 203 00:16:44,020 –> 00:16:51,799 the Bible it will. And He could hardly have said it more clearly. So why there will be 204 00:16:51,799 –> 00:16:58,299 a judgement? That is the first thing. Here is the second. What the judgement will be 205 00:16:58,299 –> 00:17:12,579 like. Now let’s take it up in verse 9. Proclaim this among the nations. So what God 206 00:17:12,780 –> 00:17:19,619 says now, verse 9 and following. He says. This is to be proclaimed to every person across 207 00:17:19,619 –> 00:17:26,619 the globe. There is no person, no living person for whom this is not supremely relevant. Every 208 00:17:29,479 –> 00:17:36,479 person needs to hear what God says here. Proclaim this to the nations. Now in the verses that 209 00:17:36,660 –> 00:17:43,660 follow, what happens is that Joel paints for us a picture of what otherwise would be quite 210 00:17:45,599 –> 00:17:52,520 unimaginable. How can we even begin to think of what this day will be like? And in the 211 00:17:52,520 –> 00:17:56,739 same ways it’s very very hard for us to imagine what heaven will be like, and so in the Book 212 00:17:56,739 –> 00:18:02,260 of Revelation and in other places we are given wonderful images that help us to begin to 213 00:18:02,319 –> 00:18:07,339 think about the things that are beyond the capacity of our mind that God has in store 214 00:18:07,339 –> 00:18:14,339 for those who love him. In the same way, here Joel paints for us a picture to help us taste, 215 00:18:18,479 –> 00:18:25,479 see, feel the reality of this Day of the Lord that he is proclaiming to us. 216 00:18:25,579 –> 00:18:32,479 Now, I know that some of you take notes and I appreciate that. I’m going to make a suggestion. 217 00:18:33,859 –> 00:18:39,800 If you are at all gifted artistically, if you can draw, I’m going to suggest that instead 218 00:18:39,800 –> 00:18:46,719 of writing notes that you sketch a little drawing, and I will not be doing that. I once 219 00:18:46,719 –> 00:18:53,719 got 17% for art at high school. I just hopeless. I cannot do that thing. But some of you are 220 00:18:55,619 –> 00:19:02,619 gifted in that way and Joel is painting a picture. Now, if you’re like me in your artistic 221 00:19:03,439 –> 00:19:07,800 ability you can just write notes or, even better, what you can do is you can try and 222 00:19:07,800 –> 00:19:13,640 compose this picture in your mind. I want you to see it. I want you to imagine it. I 223 00:19:13,640 –> 00:19:16,199 want you to see what he is painting for us. 224 00:19:16,199 –> 00:19:19,939 Now, I’ll give you the elements that need to go into the picture and there are three 225 00:19:19,939 –> 00:19:23,719 of them. You need to know them so you can do this. 226 00:19:23,719 –> 00:19:24,719 Here is the first. 227 00:19:25,359 –> 00:19:29,880 A vast crowd gathered. 228 00:19:29,880 –> 00:19:31,739 Verse 14. 229 00:19:31,739 –> 00:19:39,199 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley 230 00:19:39,199 –> 00:19:40,199 of decision. 231 00:19:40,199 –> 00:19:43,880 So in your picture or as you’re composing it in your imagination I want you to see this 232 00:19:43,880 –> 00:19:47,099 valley and there is a vast crowd. 233 00:19:47,099 –> 00:19:51,199 Multitudes, multitudes, more people than anyone could number. 234 00:19:51,219 –> 00:19:54,300 As you look into the distance you can no longer make out faces. 235 00:19:54,300 –> 00:20:01,920 It’s just hundreds and thousands and thousands and millions and vast, vast innumerable crowd. 236 00:20:01,920 –> 00:20:04,380 Second element in the picture. 237 00:20:04,380 –> 00:20:08,000 They are armed for a fight. 238 00:20:08,000 –> 00:20:09,520 Verse 10. 239 00:20:09,520 –> 00:20:17,719 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. 240 00:20:17,719 –> 00:20:20,640 So at least some of the folks at the front of the crowd, you’re going to want to draw 241 00:20:20,640 –> 00:20:28,479 them with a sword that was handcrafted out of a plowshare, metal beaten in the fire to 242 00:20:28,479 –> 00:20:33,920 make an implement of war, or a spear that was made out of a pruning hook, again straightened 243 00:20:33,920 –> 00:20:39,359 out, the pruning hook straightened out to be like a spear, straightened out in the fire. 244 00:20:39,359 –> 00:20:42,359 These people, they’re a vast crowd and they’re armed for a fight. 245 00:20:42,359 –> 00:20:47,040 That’s the first two elements, I’ll give you the third in just a moment. 246 00:20:47,119 –> 00:20:55,020 I want you to notice here that what Joel says here is the opposite of the very famous prophecy 247 00:20:55,020 –> 00:21:01,579 in Micah and chapter four, and it’s repeated in Isaiah in chapter two, which is the motto 248 00:21:01,579 –> 00:21:04,140 of the United Nations. 249 00:21:04,140 –> 00:21:05,140 You know what that is? 250 00:21:05,140 –> 00:21:08,079 It’s the opposite of what’s said here in Joel. 251 00:21:08,079 –> 00:21:16,900 Micah 4, three says this, they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into 252 00:21:16,900 –> 00:21:21,319 pruning hooks, so the spears become pruning hooks. 253 00:21:21,319 –> 00:21:27,540 And nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 254 00:21:27,540 –> 00:21:32,900 The old version says they will not study war anymore, and you will recognize these words, 255 00:21:32,900 –> 00:21:36,280 if not from the Bible, you should recognize them from the motto of the United Nations 256 00:21:36,300 –> 00:21:40,780 because that’s taken from the Bible and the aspiration of the United Nations that it will 257 00:21:40,780 –> 00:21:47,359 be a day where nation will not take up arms against nation, and that is indeed described 258 00:21:47,359 –> 00:21:51,300 that day in Isaiah and in Micah. 259 00:21:51,300 –> 00:21:55,319 A day when there will be peace between the nations. 260 00:21:55,319 –> 00:21:59,339 Joel is describing the opposite. 261 00:21:59,339 –> 00:22:01,619 The nations are not fighting each other. 262 00:22:01,619 –> 00:22:03,520 There has been an establishing of peace. 263 00:22:03,520 –> 00:22:06,040 They’ve got rid of the weapons of war. 264 00:22:06,040 –> 00:22:11,660 They’ve turned spears into pruning hooks. 265 00:22:11,660 –> 00:22:16,859 Now the nations that have been at peace with each other, are uniting themselves together 266 00:22:16,859 –> 00:22:20,239 for a war against God. 267 00:22:20,239 –> 00:22:21,739 Not fighting each other. 268 00:22:21,739 –> 00:22:28,900 They’re fighting God, and they’re coming together against Him, against the Almighty. 269 00:22:28,900 –> 00:22:33,680 Even when there is peace among the nations, there’s still antagonism towards God. 270 00:22:33,680 –> 00:22:38,199 That’s the fallenness of this world that’s being described by Joel. 271 00:22:38,199 –> 00:22:42,719 Because there are not implements of war, because there has been this marvelous peace, they’ve 272 00:22:42,719 –> 00:22:44,939 got to make them backwards again. 273 00:22:44,939 –> 00:22:47,040 Where are these pruning hooks that once were spears? 274 00:22:47,040 –> 00:22:49,160 Okay, we’d better make them back into spears. 275 00:22:49,160 –> 00:22:52,739 We got a new fight on our hands against God. 276 00:22:52,739 –> 00:22:56,079 The plowshares, let’s get them into swords. 277 00:22:56,079 –> 00:23:01,280 You want to have this in your picture, these folks who are coming, and their armed, there’s 278 00:23:01,280 –> 00:23:06,619 a vast, vast number of them, the nations. 279 00:23:06,619 –> 00:23:12,119 Isn’t this an extraordinary picture? 280 00:23:12,119 –> 00:23:20,640 The nations of the world gathered against God, and no weapon in the history of mankind, 281 00:23:20,640 –> 00:23:27,079 be it nuclear or otherwise, could ever make the smallest dent on the throne of God. 282 00:23:27,619 –> 00:23:32,239 But here are the nations coming for a fight against God, and they’re armed. 283 00:23:32,239 –> 00:23:33,859 We’ve got swords. 284 00:23:33,859 –> 00:23:35,260 We’ve got spears. 285 00:23:35,260 –> 00:23:37,739 We’re going to you. 286 00:23:37,739 –> 00:23:41,000 I mean, it’s ludicrous, isn’t it? 287 00:23:41,000 –> 00:23:48,119 It’s the most extraordinary picture, and it’s the entire human race that’s mobilized 288 00:23:48,119 –> 00:23:49,119 for this fight. 289 00:23:49,119 –> 00:23:52,099 Verse 9, let all the men of war draw near. 290 00:23:52,099 –> 00:23:56,400 So there are always some people who are first up for a fight, and ready to go into conflict, 291 00:23:57,099 –> 00:23:58,680 Then there are those who want to stay behind. 292 00:23:58,680 –> 00:24:01,900 Verse 10, let the weak say, I am a warrior. 293 00:24:01,900 –> 00:24:04,119 You may say that you don’t have much to contribute to the fight. 294 00:24:04,119 –> 00:24:05,380 We need you here as well. 295 00:24:05,380 –> 00:24:10,020 So here then is this gathering of the nations. 296 00:24:10,020 –> 00:24:15,920 The lines are set for battle on the one side here in the valley, this vast, vast multitude. 297 00:24:15,920 –> 00:24:21,359 And there they are, armed with their swords and with their spears. 298 00:24:21,359 –> 00:24:24,699 Here’s the third element in your picture. 299 00:24:24,699 –> 00:24:26,260 God becoming present. 300 00:24:26,260 –> 00:24:32,079 And he is sitting on his throne. 301 00:24:32,079 –> 00:24:37,119 And they’re looking up towards him and the throne of God comes down and God Himself is 302 00:24:37,119 –> 00:24:42,260 immediately present among all these people. 303 00:24:42,260 –> 00:24:48,880 And the remarkable thing here in verse 12 is that God is sitting on his throne. 304 00:24:48,880 –> 00:24:52,260 So here’s all these folks and they’re going to launch this attack on God. 305 00:24:52,260 –> 00:24:54,459 God doesn’t even stand up. 306 00:24:54,459 –> 00:24:59,219 Doesn’t even stand up, he is sitting! 307 00:24:59,219 –> 00:25:00,219 And He is on the throne. 308 00:25:00,219 –> 00:25:07,099 And there’s a glorious picture of sovereign power confronted by millions who are ready 309 00:25:07,099 –> 00:25:09,040 to fight. 310 00:25:09,040 –> 00:25:13,300 And He does not even stand up. 311 00:25:13,300 –> 00:25:16,359 The drama of the picture, the sort of stand off is extraordinary. 312 00:25:16,359 –> 00:25:21,180 You can almost feel the tension as you read through these verses of Joel. 313 00:25:21,199 –> 00:25:26,520 He composes the picture and I want you to see what happens next when you’ve got that 314 00:25:26,520 –> 00:25:28,500 picture in your mind. 315 00:25:28,500 –> 00:25:31,280 Verse 16. 316 00:25:43,780 –> 00:25:47,359 So suddenly the whole valley’s moving! 317 00:25:47,359 –> 00:25:53,760 Like in an earthquake, multitudes filling it. 318 00:25:53,760 –> 00:25:55,520 Look what happens next, verse 15. 319 00:25:55,520 –> 00:26:01,199 The sun and the moon are darkened and the star withdraw their shining. 320 00:26:01,199 –> 00:26:02,920 God just shuts the lights out. 321 00:26:02,920 –> 00:26:07,260 The earth moves, the lights go out. 322 00:26:07,260 –> 00:26:13,319 In verse 13, the voice of God gives the command, put in the sicko. 323 00:26:14,319 –> 00:26:16,420 For the harvest is right. 324 00:26:16,420 –> 00:26:17,920 Go in, trade. 325 00:26:17,920 –> 00:26:21,060 The winepress is full. 326 00:26:21,060 –> 00:26:26,599 Their vats overflow for their evil is great. 327 00:26:29,800 –> 00:26:35,140 The Bible speaks about the last battle. 328 00:26:35,140 –> 00:26:38,060 Watch History Channel or some of these things you’ll see from time 329 00:26:38,060 –> 00:26:41,739 to time, stuff about Armageddon. 330 00:26:41,739 –> 00:26:48,280 Don’t ever imagine that this last battle is some titanic struggle 331 00:26:48,280 –> 00:26:52,540 in which God barely wins. 332 00:26:52,540 –> 00:26:58,099 Scripture says in 2 Thessalonians that when the Lord comes, 333 00:26:58,099 –> 00:27:06,119 He will overthrow them with the breath off his mouth. 334 00:27:06,319 –> 00:27:08,479 What that means is, 335 00:27:09,920 –> 00:27:13,020 He will overthrow them with the breath of His mouth 336 00:27:13,020 –> 00:27:18,660 and with the splendor of His coming. 337 00:27:18,660 –> 00:27:23,780 One writer on Joel says that God becoming present on His throne 338 00:27:23,780 –> 00:27:27,719 deals with all the nations in judgment 339 00:27:27,719 –> 00:27:34,160 as if He were flicking an insect off His arm. 340 00:27:34,420 –> 00:27:39,560 God is like a refiner’s fire, one of the prophets says, 341 00:27:39,560 –> 00:27:47,660 and who can stand on the day of His appearing? 342 00:27:49,020 –> 00:27:52,619 Now, most of you believe in God, you believe in the Bible. 343 00:27:52,619 –> 00:27:56,819 Most of you will call yourselves Christians. 344 00:27:57,900 –> 00:28:03,060 Some will, right now be locked into some kind of 345 00:28:03,060 –> 00:28:07,880 conflict with God, you’re angry with God, 346 00:28:07,880 –> 00:28:10,800 you think He owes you something better than He gave you 347 00:28:10,800 –> 00:28:12,199 in some way in your life. 348 00:28:12,199 –> 00:28:15,000 You got an issue, you’ve got… 349 00:28:15,000 –> 00:28:18,719 I want you to try and see how ludicrous this picture is. 350 00:28:18,719 –> 00:28:22,400 There you are with your little spear and your little sword. 351 00:28:22,400 –> 00:28:25,459 God, I’ve got this. 352 00:28:25,459 –> 00:28:28,119 Your dispute with God is an unwinnable battle 353 00:28:28,119 –> 00:28:32,239 and the sooner you end that, the better it is for you. 354 00:28:32,280 –> 00:28:35,199 Remember Job, who was a very righteous man 355 00:28:35,199 –> 00:28:38,079 and great difficulties came into his life. 356 00:28:38,079 –> 00:28:41,719 God’s hand was in that and Job did not like it 357 00:28:41,719 –> 00:28:44,800 and questioned the ways of God. 358 00:28:44,800 –> 00:28:46,719 He questioned the wisdom of God 359 00:28:46,719 –> 00:28:49,119 and raised his case against God 360 00:28:49,119 –> 00:28:53,920 and then God gave Job a glimpse of just how great God is. 361 00:28:56,060 –> 00:28:57,839 And when Job saw the glory 362 00:28:57,839 –> 00:29:00,439 of the Lord, he’s down on his knees and he says, 363 00:29:00,579 –> 00:29:02,180 I didn’t know what I was speaking 364 00:29:02,180 –> 00:29:04,880 when I said all this stuff about you and against you. 365 00:29:06,099 –> 00:29:08,000 And now, I repent 366 00:29:09,160 –> 00:29:10,239 in dust 367 00:29:11,439 –> 00:29:14,160 and in ashes. 368 00:29:14,160 –> 00:29:17,979 Maybe God will bring some of us to the same place today. 369 00:29:20,300 –> 00:29:21,739 And if you have not yet submitted 370 00:29:21,739 –> 00:29:23,479 to the claims of Jesus Christ 371 00:29:23,479 –> 00:29:25,479 and you’re still waving that little sword 372 00:29:25,479 –> 00:29:27,160 in the face of the almighty, 373 00:29:27,180 –> 00:29:30,540 can you see how ludicrous this is? 374 00:29:31,959 –> 00:29:33,180 How futile? 375 00:29:34,439 –> 00:29:36,140 How utterly hopeless? 376 00:29:37,719 –> 00:29:39,420 And the sooner you lay down arms 377 00:29:39,420 –> 00:29:41,140 and get on your knees before God 378 00:29:41,140 –> 00:29:44,680 and ask him to have mercy on you for Jesus’ sake, 379 00:29:44,680 –> 00:29:49,680 may that be today, the better it is going to be for you. 380 00:29:51,339 –> 00:29:52,900 Now that leads me to the very last thing 381 00:29:52,900 –> 00:29:55,839 and it’s simply this, where can you find refuge? 382 00:29:55,859 –> 00:29:57,819 Because you do not want to be standing 383 00:29:57,819 –> 00:29:59,579 before the Almighty on the last day 384 00:29:59,579 –> 00:30:03,339 with your little sword being trampled 385 00:30:03,339 –> 00:30:05,199 in the winepress of God’s wrath, 386 00:30:05,199 –> 00:30:07,040 which is the way that the Book of Revelation 387 00:30:07,040 –> 00:30:08,439 takes up this picture. 388 00:30:10,219 –> 00:30:13,260 And so look at verse 16, where can you find refuge? 389 00:30:13,260 –> 00:30:16,540 You got all this description of the day of judgment, 390 00:30:16,540 –> 00:30:18,300 the Day of the Lord, and you think, 391 00:30:18,300 –> 00:30:21,819 Lord, where’s the way out, where’s the hope here? 392 00:30:21,819 –> 00:30:23,920 And you get to the end of verse 16 and it says, 393 00:30:23,939 –> 00:30:26,880 but, after all the quaking of the heavens 394 00:30:26,880 –> 00:30:29,640 and the voice of the Lord roaring 395 00:30:29,640 –> 00:30:30,680 and the lights going out, 396 00:30:30,680 –> 00:30:35,680 but the Lord is a refuge to his people. 397 00:30:37,160 –> 00:30:39,680 You say, that’s what I need, that’s what I want, 398 00:30:39,680 –> 00:30:41,760 I need the refuge. 399 00:30:41,760 –> 00:30:43,920 And I therefore want to be one of his people. 400 00:30:43,920 –> 00:30:46,079 He’s a refuge for his people. 401 00:30:47,079 –> 00:30:48,760 Some of you may have been in a refuge 402 00:30:48,760 –> 00:30:51,180 or have needed to find a refuge. 403 00:30:51,180 –> 00:30:52,020 What is a refuge? 404 00:30:52,099 –> 00:30:54,540 A refuge is a place that you go to find safety 405 00:30:54,540 –> 00:30:57,900 when you are facing impending danger. 406 00:30:59,520 –> 00:31:01,479 And we’re told here that God, 407 00:31:01,479 –> 00:31:04,959 the Lord is the refuge for his people. 408 00:31:06,400 –> 00:31:07,959 So here’s the extraordinary truth 409 00:31:07,959 –> 00:31:10,280 that takes you to the very heart of the Bible 410 00:31:10,280 –> 00:31:12,420 and indeed to the heart of the gospel, 411 00:31:12,420 –> 00:31:15,880 that, the Lord who is the judge we should fear 412 00:31:16,880 –> 00:31:19,880 is also the refuge we should seek. 413 00:31:20,739 –> 00:31:22,119 Let me say that again, 414 00:31:22,119 –> 00:31:25,640 the Lord who is the judge you should fear, 415 00:31:25,640 –> 00:31:27,920 now you don’t fear the Lord, 416 00:31:27,920 –> 00:31:30,239 you’re not in touch with reality, 417 00:31:30,239 –> 00:31:32,760 the Lord who is the judge you should fear 418 00:31:32,760 –> 00:31:36,079 is also the refuge you should seek. 419 00:31:36,979 –> 00:31:38,359 That’s the point of verse 16. 420 00:31:38,359 –> 00:31:41,339 The Lord who is the judge is the refuge. 421 00:31:41,339 –> 00:31:44,099 You say now how can God possibly be 422 00:31:44,099 –> 00:31:47,020 a refuge from his own judgment? 423 00:31:47,020 –> 00:31:49,420 He’s the judge, I need refuge from his judgment. 424 00:31:49,439 –> 00:31:51,560 How can he be the refuge from his own judgment? 425 00:31:51,560 –> 00:31:53,579 And that takes you to the very heart 426 00:31:53,579 –> 00:31:54,979 of the message of the Bible. 427 00:31:56,119 –> 00:31:58,359 Let me just give it to you as simply as I can 428 00:31:58,359 –> 00:32:00,000 from Romans and chapter three, 429 00:32:00,000 –> 00:32:02,660 because this is where that great question is answered. 430 00:32:02,660 –> 00:32:07,660 How can God be a refuge from the judgment of God himself? 431 00:32:07,839 –> 00:32:10,479 And here’s what Paul says in Romans three, 432 00:32:10,479 –> 00:32:13,359 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 433 00:32:14,280 –> 00:32:15,819 Okay, and that’s why I need a refuge 434 00:32:15,819 –> 00:32:18,199 because as not just other people have done great evil, 435 00:32:18,199 –> 00:32:19,420 evil is in me. 436 00:32:21,000 –> 00:32:23,099 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 437 00:32:23,099 –> 00:32:24,640 So what has God done? 438 00:32:24,640 –> 00:32:27,839 Christ Jesus has ben put forward. 439 00:32:27,839 –> 00:32:30,459 God put forward Christ Jesus. 440 00:32:30,459 –> 00:32:32,459 You see that in the middle of the verse. 441 00:32:33,500 –> 00:32:35,540 Why is Jesus Christ being put forward? 442 00:32:35,540 –> 00:32:38,859 What is Jesus Christ who’s put forward 443 00:32:38,859 –> 00:32:40,380 as the refuge for us? 444 00:32:40,380 –> 00:32:41,520 What has he done? 445 00:32:41,520 –> 00:32:44,619 The answer that is given here is very clear. 446 00:32:44,619 –> 00:32:47,719 He’s put forward through a propitiation 447 00:32:47,719 –> 00:32:50,319 by his blood, you say, what on earth does that mean? 448 00:32:50,319 –> 00:32:52,520 What it means is simply this. 449 00:32:52,520 –> 00:32:54,880 That the judgment that is due to sinners 450 00:32:54,880 –> 00:32:59,479 on the last day is poured out on Jesus Christ. 451 00:33:00,680 –> 00:33:05,260 That he studied as a sacrifice in the place of sinners 452 00:33:06,180 –> 00:33:10,560 and bearing sin, he absorbed all that is involved 453 00:33:10,560 –> 00:33:12,439 in the judgment of God on the last day 454 00:33:12,439 –> 00:33:14,359 on behalf of sinners. 455 00:33:15,359 –> 00:33:18,599 And for this reason, he is able to offer to sinners 456 00:33:18,599 –> 00:33:20,000 two wonderful gifts. 457 00:33:20,000 –> 00:33:22,839 One is to be justified by grace. 458 00:33:22,839 –> 00:33:23,680 Do you see that there? 459 00:33:23,680 –> 00:33:24,520 What does that mean? 460 00:33:24,520 –> 00:33:26,800 To be forgiven, to be at peace with God, 461 00:33:26,800 –> 00:33:30,180 to be absolved, to be reconciled, 462 00:33:31,520 –> 00:33:33,839 and a redemption which means that 463 00:33:33,839 –> 00:33:36,479 he doesn’t just do this from a distance. 464 00:33:36,479 –> 00:33:38,680 He purchases people for himself 465 00:33:38,680 –> 00:33:40,319 by the shedding of his blood. 466 00:33:40,319 –> 00:33:43,920 He’s making a people who will be his own 467 00:33:43,920 –> 00:33:46,140 and he’ll be a refuge for these people. 468 00:33:46,140 –> 00:33:47,319 That’s how Joel puts it. 469 00:33:47,319 –> 00:33:50,040 And you say, well, how can I be one of these people? 470 00:33:50,040 –> 00:33:52,680 And the answer is this. 471 00:33:52,680 –> 00:33:54,839 You become one of these people by faith. 472 00:33:54,839 –> 00:33:56,359 Do you see that at the end of the verse? 473 00:33:56,359 –> 00:33:59,400 To be received by faith. 474 00:34:00,920 –> 00:34:02,839 And this justification, this redemption 475 00:34:02,839 –> 00:34:04,520 comes to you as a gift. 476 00:34:04,520 –> 00:34:07,760 And the way in which it is received is by faith. 477 00:34:07,760 –> 00:34:11,120 Faith is the bond by which Christ becomes yours 478 00:34:12,020 –> 00:34:16,000 and you become his. 479 00:34:17,459 –> 00:34:20,959 Now picture, in these last moments, 480 00:34:20,959 –> 00:34:24,260 the vast multitude gathered in the valley of decision. 481 00:34:24,260 –> 00:34:26,479 Multitudes. Multitudes. 482 00:34:26,479 –> 00:34:28,320 In the valley of decision. 483 00:34:29,580 –> 00:34:30,919 And you realize now, of course, 484 00:34:30,919 –> 00:34:33,860 that this is not a verse about, you know, 485 00:34:33,860 –> 00:34:36,120 how we all need to make a decision for the Lord. 486 00:34:36,120 –> 00:34:38,080 The decision is the decision 487 00:34:38,080 –> 00:34:41,560 that God is going to make about each of these people. 488 00:34:41,560 –> 00:34:43,159 The decision that really matters 489 00:34:43,159 –> 00:34:45,399 is the decision that God will make about you. 490 00:34:46,580 –> 00:34:49,399 The decision that really matters eternally. 491 00:34:49,399 –> 00:34:52,899 The biggest thing in my life is the decision 492 00:34:52,899 –> 00:34:56,639 that God will make about me. 493 00:34:58,300 –> 00:35:02,219 And this word justify, what that simply means is 494 00:35:02,219 –> 00:35:07,000 God making a favorable decision on behalf of a person. 495 00:35:07,860 –> 00:35:09,679 And its opposite is the word condemn, 496 00:35:09,679 –> 00:35:13,459 which is God making an unfavorable decision 497 00:35:13,459 –> 00:35:15,979 in regards to a person. 498 00:35:17,060 –> 00:35:21,560 I want to be justified, I do not want to be condemned. 499 00:35:23,540 –> 00:35:26,840 But the decision of God, justified, condemned, 500 00:35:28,100 –> 00:35:31,340 will be made known on the last day. 501 00:35:33,479 –> 00:35:36,040 How many of us here today want to wait 502 00:35:36,080 –> 00:35:37,620 til the last day to find out? 503 00:35:38,919 –> 00:35:40,919 You want to live your whole life with your eternity 504 00:35:40,919 –> 00:35:42,179 hanging in the balance? 505 00:35:44,600 –> 00:35:47,879 Here’s the good news, the wonderful good news 506 00:35:47,879 –> 00:35:49,439 at the heart of the gospel. 507 00:35:49,439 –> 00:35:51,360 And it’s in this wonderful phrase, 508 00:35:51,360 –> 00:35:53,659 being justified by faith. 509 00:35:53,659 –> 00:35:56,780 Justification is the decision that belongs 510 00:35:56,780 –> 00:36:01,000 to the last day being made known in advance 511 00:36:02,199 –> 00:36:04,899 to those who are in Christ Jesus. 512 00:36:06,500 –> 00:36:08,899 And that is at the very heart of the gospel 513 00:36:08,899 –> 00:36:12,639 that when by faith you are in Christ Jesus, 514 00:36:12,639 –> 00:36:15,800 the promise of God to you announced in advance 515 00:36:15,800 –> 00:36:18,080 so that you may live with peace and with joy 516 00:36:18,080 –> 00:36:22,540 is being justified by faith. 517 00:36:23,760 –> 00:36:28,080 We have peace with God. 518 00:36:28,959 –> 00:36:32,879 What will be made known on the last day is ours 519 00:36:32,879 –> 00:36:35,520 as those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 520 00:36:35,699 –> 00:36:36,879 and are bonded to him by faith 521 00:36:36,879 –> 00:36:39,600 because of what he has accomplished for us, 522 00:36:39,600 –> 00:36:42,179 bearing that judgment, bearing our sin, 523 00:36:42,179 –> 00:36:46,719 justifying us, redeeming us 524 00:36:46,719 –> 00:36:49,199 through this propitiation by his blood 525 00:36:49,199 –> 00:36:50,840 that becomes ours by faith 526 00:36:50,840 –> 00:36:54,239 and is the most amazing gift of God 527 00:36:54,239 –> 00:36:58,379 so that you can live knowing that you’re at peace with God, 528 00:36:58,379 –> 00:37:01,399 you can serve, you can have joy 529 00:37:01,399 –> 00:37:05,120 knowing that there is no condemnation 530 00:37:05,199 –> 00:37:09,520 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 531 00:37:10,439 –> 00:37:12,879 Knowing that, knowing the decision of the last day 532 00:37:12,879 –> 00:37:15,479 which is God’s gift to those who are in Christ 533 00:37:15,479 –> 00:37:17,520 is promise received by faith. 534 00:37:18,760 –> 00:37:20,219 It’s the greatest gift imaginable, 535 00:37:20,219 –> 00:37:23,199 is transforming of life now 536 00:37:23,199 –> 00:37:24,760 and when we enter into his presence, 537 00:37:24,760 –> 00:37:27,600 we’re going to see just how transforming it is 538 00:37:27,600 –> 00:37:29,959 for all eternity. 539 00:37:30,719 –> 00:37:34,439 One last story just to try and drive this home, 540 00:37:34,439 –> 00:37:37,439 a personal story and then we’re through. 541 00:37:37,439 –> 00:37:42,439 Some years ago, I labored on a research degree. 542 00:37:42,760 –> 00:37:44,419 Labored is definitely the word, 543 00:37:44,419 –> 00:37:47,199 though it benefited me greatly. 544 00:37:47,199 –> 00:37:52,199 And here it is, 221 type written pages. 545 00:37:53,459 –> 00:37:55,120 I thought I might read it to you. 546 00:37:55,179 –> 00:37:59,000 Okay, British degrees, 547 00:37:59,000 –> 00:38:01,479 advanced study degrees in United Kingdom 548 00:38:01,479 –> 00:38:03,879 do not involve coursework. 549 00:38:03,879 –> 00:38:06,000 As they often do here. 550 00:38:06,000 –> 00:38:07,439 I think that’s one of the reasons 551 00:38:07,439 –> 00:38:09,739 many folks have chosen to study there 552 00:38:09,739 –> 00:38:13,239 that the entire thing if you’re doing a research degree 553 00:38:13,239 –> 00:38:16,600 depends on your own work and what you produce, 554 00:38:16,600 –> 00:38:19,179 it’s this is it, no courses. 555 00:38:19,179 –> 00:38:21,040 You do your work and then you present it 556 00:38:21,040 –> 00:38:22,520 and of course what that means is 557 00:38:22,540 –> 00:38:25,500 that when you have to defend your thesis, 558 00:38:25,500 –> 00:38:29,620 it’s a straight pass fail, I mean it’s all or nothing. 559 00:38:29,620 –> 00:38:33,100 It’s either you’ve got it or you’ve not got it 560 00:38:33,100 –> 00:38:35,320 and it’s not as if you’re adding 561 00:38:35,320 –> 00:38:37,419 to some stuff that you’ve accumulated 562 00:38:37,419 –> 00:38:39,459 over a number of years. 563 00:38:39,459 –> 00:38:43,199 So I remember having worked on this for several years, 564 00:38:43,199 –> 00:38:45,659 hours and hours of investments 565 00:38:45,659 –> 00:38:49,320 going into defend this thesis with two professors 566 00:38:49,320 –> 00:38:51,199 I’d never met, one of them from Oxford 567 00:38:51,360 –> 00:38:55,219 and that really terrified me and I’m thinking 568 00:38:55,219 –> 00:38:56,399 what are they gonna ask? 569 00:38:56,399 –> 00:38:58,340 What am I gonna say? 570 00:38:58,340 –> 00:39:02,800 I got all this invested and what’s gonna come off it 571 00:39:04,100 –> 00:39:08,080 and I went into the office where we met, 572 00:39:08,080 –> 00:39:13,080 sat down and the senior of them said, 573 00:39:13,100 –> 00:39:17,260 well Colin we want you to know that we like your work 574 00:39:18,399 –> 00:39:20,760 and that it meets the standard for the degree 575 00:39:22,000 –> 00:39:25,419 so you can relax and enjoy this conversation. 576 00:39:25,419 –> 00:39:26,760 Oh thank you. 577 00:39:26,760 –> 00:39:28,260 Oh. 578 00:39:28,260 –> 00:39:33,000 The relief that I’m not spending the next two hours 579 00:39:33,000 –> 00:39:35,560 with the outcome hanging in the balance 580 00:39:37,379 –> 00:39:40,239 and we had two hours of wonderful, wonderful conversation 581 00:39:40,239 –> 00:39:43,560 about something that I had become deeply invested in 582 00:39:43,560 –> 00:39:45,820 and the study of this part of God’s word 583 00:39:45,820 –> 00:39:48,540 and totally different. 584 00:39:48,540 –> 00:39:51,739 Can you see how different your life would be 585 00:39:51,739 –> 00:39:54,360 to be free to live for Christ with joy, 586 00:39:54,360 –> 00:39:57,459 to be free knowing that you are at peace with God, 587 00:39:57,459 –> 00:40:00,780 to be free knowing that you are justified by faith 588 00:40:00,780 –> 00:40:03,580 because of all that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross 589 00:40:03,580 –> 00:40:06,300 that there is no condemnation for you 590 00:40:06,300 –> 00:40:09,379 because you are in Christ Jesus. 591 00:40:10,500 –> 00:40:14,080 That’s the gift that Jesus Christ holds even now 592 00:40:14,080 –> 00:40:17,159 in his hand if you’re in Christ it is your gift 593 00:40:17,159 –> 00:40:19,739 and you are able to live because of it. 594 00:40:22,040 –> 00:40:23,479 And some of you came here today 595 00:40:23,479 –> 00:40:25,419 and you’ve been pushing Jesus Christ away 596 00:40:25,419 –> 00:40:29,360 and I say while he holds these gifts in his hands, 597 00:40:29,360 –> 00:40:34,360 why in the world would you push him away one day longer. 598 00:40:36,919 –> 00:40:38,360 Let’s pray together shall we. 599 00:40:40,919 –> 00:40:41,959 Oh father, 600 00:40:42,899 –> 00:40:47,780 press your word into our hearts by the Holy spirit 601 00:40:49,360 –> 00:40:53,399 that faith in Christ and all the flows from it 602 00:40:53,399 –> 00:40:55,719 in a life of service to you 603 00:40:57,639 –> 00:41:01,020 may be our response to the Christ who loved us 604 00:41:01,760 –> 00:41:03,659 and gave himself for us 605 00:41:05,100 –> 00:41:07,000 for we ask it in Jesus name 606 00:41:07,959 –> 00:41:09,000 and everyone said, 607 00:41:09,280 –> 00:41:09,760 Amen 608 00:41:13,679 –> 00:41:17,959 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Collin Smith of Open the Bible 609 00:41:18,120 –> 00:41:23,060 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 610 00:41:23,540 –> 00:41:26,959 or visit our website, OpentheBible.org