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Even Now: Sound the Alarm
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About 8 days ago I was about to conduct a wedding at our Springdale location. I was on one side of the building, the north side of the building, and all of a sudden the fire alarm went off. That’s, even though it doesn’t happen all the time, it does happen. I basically did not pay attention to it at all. It continued to stay on. I thought well I better walk out there just to see what’s happening. I mean we’re about 20 minutes away from the wedding, and we could have an issue. And I walked out and all of a sudden there were people that were racing toward the Worship Suite on our Springdale Campus. I obviously became concerned and went over there immediately and all of a sudden water was just pouring into the Worship Suite, and there were guys that were just minutes away from being groomsmen or ushers or whatever they were doing, and the band, they had suits on, tuxes on. They had their pants rolled up, and they were in ankle deep water, and rescuing computers and everything else that they possibly could from that Worship Suite.
Sooner or later the alarm went off, and the guy who takes care of that for us, he came and said, “Hey I’ve got it taken care of. I’ve got some guys coming. We’ll be fine.” I said, “Okay guys. You know we’ve got about 10 minutes, we need to go get a wedding, we need to do this wedding.” So they all got dressed back up and we went and we conducted the wedding.
But you know what really caught our attention that day was the alarm going off. Interestingly you evaluate that because initially there was complacency. You know people thought well somebody went out the wrong place, or some child did something somewhere. You know, blaming it on the next generation. And you know something, something going on and, and uh, but all of a sudden the complacency became concern. And when it stayed on so long, and all of a sudden there were people beginning to move towards a certain area, then, then action occurred all because the alarm went off.
Sound the alarm. That’s the message today from the Word of God found in Joel chapter 1, verse 15 through chapter 2, verse number 11. Even now, this very moment sound the alarm.
You know the alarm is a warning sign for danger. That’s why alarms go off. Last week we were together and when we began this series of messages out of Joel’s book, we talked about in one section about how we need to wake up because judgment is now here. The judgment we talked about is referred to in Joel chapter 1, verse 1 through 14. In fact, I asked the question could it be that we are right now in America under the judgment of God? I asked that question that perhaps we have seen judgment even in our own lives periodically.
And when you look in Joel chapter 1, the first part of that, you find that that judgment was demonstrated because they lost protection. They lost provision, and their joy was even gone. But I want you to notice that in Joel chapter 1, verse 1 through 14, Joel chapter 1, verse 15 to chapter 2, verse 11 is not talking about the same kind of judgment. In fact, it’s talking about a whole different judgment all together. And when you look at the first part of the judgment in relationship to the first judgment mentioned in Joel it pales in significance to the judgment that is mentioned in the next section of the book of Joel.
In other words, the present judgment is nothing more than like a tremor says for so much more to come, because the present judgment is also a warning sign of further judgment to come. If you think that perhaps America at times has been under the judgment of God, or maybe you’ve felt like your own life was under a sense of judgment from the Lord, do you realize that whatever that may be, all of that is just pointing you, and calling you to God to get ready for the fierce second judgment that is going to come, that is a powerful, powerful, powerful judgment.
Judgment now is like nothing in relationship to judgment to come. Jesus talked about that judgment to come over in the 24th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. In fact He was talking about the end time. And when He was talking about the end of time, Jesus talked about nation was going to rise against nation, and kingdom would rise against kingdom. And Jesus also talked about how there would be disease, and there would be pestilence, and Jesus then mentioned even earthquakes and those kinds of things. And what Jesus was saying is all of that is nothing more than warning signs that there is coming a day that is much more fierce, and devastating than anything we would see on this earth today. And that’s the coming judgment of God.
In Joel chapter 1, verse 15 through Joel chapter 2, verse number 11, the text transitions into a coming fierce and final judgment of God, unlike anything the Bible says that the world has ever seen before. Well after studying this text for a long time, and trying to work through about how in the world to teach this text, and to apply this text to life today, I, I thought I would simply ask the text questions, and take our time to answer those questions.
When you look at the text the first question that comes to mind is this question:
1. What is the day of the Lord? That’s an important question. What is the day of the Lord? It is mentioned throughout this passage in Joel, so what in the world is the day of the Lord? I want you, if you would, I want you to look with me to Joel chapter 1, verse number 15. The Bible says, “Woe,” in other words, beware, “judgment because of that day. For the day of the Lord is near and will come as a devastation.” Now I want you to note this next phrase. “From the Almighty.” In other words, this judgment is from God.
While all of us believes in the love of God, and the grace of God, and the mercy of God, overabounding, overflowing there is also coming a day according to the scripture when things will change. And there will be a fierce, difficult, challenging judgment occurring.
In chapter 2, verse number 1 the Bible says this in Joel 2:1, he says, “Blow the horn in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain. Let all the residents of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming. In fact, it is near.”
Question: what is the day of the Lord? In the translation I read from during this year, which is the Holman Christian Standard version, the phrase, “day of the Lord,” is mentioned 23 times in the entire Bible. 17 of those in the Old Testament, and of course the remaining would be in the New Testament.
In the Old Testament the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, and Amos, and Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi and Joel mention the day of the Lord. In the New Testament when Luke was writing the record of the book of Acts, as we would know it he referred to the day of the Lord. Paul referred to it in 1 Corinthians, as well as 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and the Apostle Peter writes about it in the 2nd epistle of his book called 2nd Peter.
But the question still arises, what will the day of the Lord be like according to Holy Scripture? What I’m going to do for a moment today is that I’m going to read several sections of the Bible. I’m going to be moving fast, you may not be able to get there, just be sure you note the passages I’m reading from, and perhaps this week you can spend a moment, and you can read from them personally.
But if you want to try and go with me, you better get ready, because you better know how to find the book of Zephaniah. The book of Zephaniah in chapter number 1, verse 14 through 18. Listen to the reading of the Word. “The great day of the Lord is near, near and rapidly approaching.” Listen. “The day of the Lord, there the warriors cry is bitter. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction, desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day a trumpet blasts, and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. I will bring distress on mankind, and they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh will be like dung. Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them.”
Would you please just note that in your mind for a moment? That statement America needs to listen to. “Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them when the day of the Lord comes. On the day of the Lord’s wrath, the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy for He will make a complete, yes, a horrifying end of all the inhabitants of the earth.”
And then when you look at Matthew chapter 24, the entire chapter’s written about the prophetic end and Jesus is speaking in Matthew 24 beginning in verse 29, reading through 34. The scripture says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,” listen to what happens, “the sun will be darkened, Jesus said, and the moon will not shed its light. The stars will fall from the sky from the celestial powers, and the celestial powers will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. He will send out His angels,” the Bible says, “with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” And then listen to what Jesus said. “Now learn this parable from the fig tree as soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize He is near at the door. I assure you this generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”
Isn’t it amazing that Jesus here, when He was talking, there was a reference to Israel. Where was the reference to Israel? That’s the fig tree. Jesus said when the fig tree begins to blossom. In other words, when Israel begins to blossom. In 1948 Israel became a nation, and what Jesus was saying here is that in the generation that sees that come to reality, in that generation, which could be our generation! Jesus says you will understand He is near. He is near. The day of the Lord is near.
And then over in the book of Revelation, chapter number 11, reading through verse 16, “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called faithful and true,” speaking of Jesus Christ, “and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flaming, or like a fiery flame, and His head were many crowns. He had name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven,” that’s all of us at that time are in heaven with the Lord, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, followers of Jesus Christ, “at that time the armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen, and from His mouth came a sharp sword so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress with the fierce anger of God the Almighty. And on His robe, and on His thigh He has a name written “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” There is coming a day when He will reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.
And in the book of Revelation chapter 20, verse 7 through verse number 10, “When the 1000 years are completed we believe that there will be the tribulation, which is 7 years. We believe prior to the tribulation the Lord Jesus will rapture His church. In that 7 year period of tribulation judgment will come upon the earth, and then at the end of that 7 year tribulation the Lord will come, and He will reign on this earth for a 1000 years. When the 1000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth. Gogh and Magog, together for battle, the numbers like the sand in the sea, they came up over the surface of the earth, and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city, and then,” listen to this, “then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The devil who is deceived was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Question today, what is the day of the Lord? The day of the Lord is:
(1) The coming judgment of God upon all evil. If you were
to take all of those passages and you were to look at what Joel says specifically, the day of the Lord is the coming judgment of God upon all evil. While evil and sin may appear to run and race across this world today, you be assured there is coming a moment, there is coming a day when the coming judgment of God will occur upon all evil in the world! He will judge all sin. He will judge all forces of evil. He will judge all nations. He will judge Satan himself, and He will judge sinners the Bible says, who have never walked, lived, confessed Jesus as Lord in their life, turning from their sin, giving their lives completely, wholly, fully to the lordship of Jesus Christ, because those people will be judged, and they will be sentenced, the scripture says, to an eternity of hell. For all of eternity they will be separated from God.
Listen friend, the coming judgment of God upon all evil in the world is the day of the Lord. But the day of the Lord is also something else. It is the day when:
(2) The Lord established His sovereignty everywhere. His sovereignty meaning He is in control of all things. He is over all things. He is in all things. He is through all things. The coming day of the Lord means that the Lord established His sovereignty everywhere.
Oh I’m telling you there is coming a day. There is coming a day when the Lord everywhere in this world, everywhere in this universe, will be recognized as King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee will bow on this earth. Every knee will bow even in heaven. And every knee will even bow in hell itself declaring Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords. There is coming a day my friend when, when the Lord establishes His sovereignty everywhere in the universe.
Therefore I ask you this morning are you personally ready for the day of the Lord? Are you personally prepared for the day of the Lord? Has there ever been a moment, a time, when Christ has changed your life? Has there ever been a moment, a time, a day when you have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, turning from your sin, giving your life to Christ to live under His complete reign and leadership, and lordship? If you have not done that, I pray that today will be the day that you choose Christ in your life.
And I ask you also this morning, every one of us, what are you doing to declare, to get other people ready for the coming day of the Lord? It is the coming judgment of God, and it is when the Lord will establish His sovereignty everywhere.
Question 2:
2. What are the characteristics of the day of the Lord? What does the scripture say about that? Well in chapter 1, verse 15 through chapter 2; verse 11 it says a lot. First of all it says:
(1) It is near. Near. The day of the Lord is near. Chapter 1, verse 15, chapter 2, verse 1, both refer to it being near. Even Jesus said it is near. When you see these things happening in the world, Jesus said you better get ready because I am at the door. I am at the door. And I am awaiting the Father to tell Me to go and get His children. Near, meaning at the door. Near, meaning about to happen. Near, meaning imminent. Near, meaning impending.
(2) It is devastating. The scripture says it is devastating. The characteristics of the day of the Lord is what we’re talking about, so we know it’s near, and the Bible also calls it devastating. I’ll not take the time to read it due to time today, but in verses 16 through verse 20 of chapter 1 of the book of Joel, here’s what you’re going to find: you’re going to find that in verse 16 it is devastating because drought and famine will come. Drought and famine will come. Drought and famine will come. There will be nothing to eat. There will be nothing to grow. It will be a hopeless situation.
That’s why verse 16 also says that joy and singing will be gone. Can you imagine being present in a place where joy and signing will be gone? Also the scripture says in verse 17 that the treasuries will be empty. The treasuries will be empty. And then in verse 16 through 20, you see that the scripture talks about how misery will exist everywhere. It’ll be universal. Have you ever been miserable? Some of you live with misery. And I’m not talking about your husband. But you live miserable. I mean he is that kind of person.
And then there are seasons of misery that come upon our lives in our minds. Seasons of trial and tribulation and challenges. Misery will be universal in this day. In fact, the scripture says, listen to this now, “Misery will come on all people.” Imagine living in a world where everyone’s miserable. Misery will come even on the land. Misery will come even on the crops. Misery will even come on the animals. That’s how miserable it will be.
But also this same passage talks about how desperation will occur in verse 19a and verse 20a. He talks about how desperate things will be. Desperation will occur. Well guess what? When people are living when the day of the Lord comes, they will e desperate. They will be desperate to know Christ in a personal way, but listen to me this morning, it will be too late. They will not be able to know Christ. It will be too late. It’ll be too late. They will be miserable, and they will be desperate. Desperate.
The Bible talks here about how it is near. It is devastating, and:
(3) It is unprecedented. The scripture talks about how it is unprecedented. In chapter 2 of Joel, verse 2 through verse 10, it talks about that unprecedented judgment of God that is going to come. Remember when I said earlier that no judgment that has ever occurred before will even be close to the judgment of the coming day of the Lord? It is unprecedented. How will that be so?
Well in chapter 2, verse number 3 says this is going to happen. It says that “darkness will replace light.” Could you imagine living in a dark world? Darkness will replace light. Remember God created light first, and then darkness. Do you realize that darkness in the scripture, when it does occur, like the day that Jesus died, you remember it became dark for those 3 hours of time? From 12 to 3. Can you imagine being here in Pinnacle Hills, in this region of Northwest Arkansas and all of a sudden at 12 noon everything becomes dark? And it stays dark until 3? Wow.
You know what darkness symbolized that day? Sin. And doom. And judgment. There is coming a day when that darkness will prevail throughout the entire earth. And it will once again symbolize that same very thing, sin and doom, and judgment. When Jesus died during that 3-hour period of time, the reason that the world became dark is because the judgment of God was coming upon His Son Jesus Christ because He was bearing the sins of the world! And the darkness came upon Him. It symbolized sin and doom and judgment. What happened at the cross was not simply that life occurred, but what happened at the cross is that sin was judged. And what happened at the resurrection was that death was judged. What we need to understand today is that darkness will replace light.
It will be unprecedented because fire will replace the Garden of Eden. Remember the Garden of Eden was the perfect place that God created for His people, Adam and Eve, until they sinned. Verse 4 through verse 9 of chapter 2 talks about how fire will one day consume the Garden of Eden. And what you must imagine is that what used to be the Garden of Eden has become Death Valley, God says. Fire in the scripture, it symbolizes the Holy Spirit, but it also symbolizes judgment. Judgment. So not only will it become dark and everything will be under the fire, but also, listen to this, stars will stop shining.
Can you imagine walking outside at night and there will be no stars? And there will be no light? I mean it will be pitch black in complete reality, and the beauty of heaven, of what we would call heaven as we see the heavens, the sky, it all will be gone. And a complete reversal of what creation was intended to be is now judged because of sin and because of evil.
Do you realize today that the earth groans being under the curse of sin and death? The earth groans because it is under the curse of sin and death. Sin and judgment. We see things happen in the world today, all across the world, we don’t know how to label them. We don’t know how to identify them. And we don’t really need to worry about identifying them. But one thing we need to know, so much of it is just natural. It’s natural because of not what’s happening today as much as what happened in the Garden of Eden. And ever since their sin entered the world this earth has been under the continual judgment of God. It’s been under the curse of sin and judgment.
But also the human body is under the cures of sin and judgment. You know I try to work out 6 days a week. And I do that for a lot of reasons, and I won’t go into that today, that’s not what this is about. But do you realize that it doesn’t matter how many days I work out, this body is on its way to decay? I might can delay the decay to a degree. I might can alter some of that to a degree, but this very body is under the curse of sin and judgment. And ever since Adam and Eve sinned, every human being has been under the curse of sin and judgment, and that is why Christ came to this earth to die for the sins of the world and to judge your sin! So that your soul will not have to be under the curse of sin and judgment.
3. What do we need to do about the coming day of the Lord? What do we need to do about it? I mean do we just ignore it? Do we yawn? Do we act like it’s no big deal; surely it’s not going to come while I’m around here? Why should I be concerned? Ah they’ve always said that kind of thing’s going to happen, but it’s never happened yet. Well this day of the Lord is dangerous, the scripture says. It’s near. It will bring devastation unlike ever seen. It’s God judgment on all evil and all sin, and it will come to all nations and all peoples and all lands. I’m telling you today it is serious, serious business.
So what must we do? What should we do about the coming day of the Lord? We need to begin by:
(1) Listening to the alarm. The alarm’s going off. We’d better listen to it. What’s it telling us? Here it’s telling us, right here, listen to me, zero in here, here it is: we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The alarm is telling us there is none righteous, no not one! All of us are under the curse of sin, and under the curse of judgment! The alarm is telling us to look to the cross because on the cross Jesus judged sin and He paid the penalty for all sin! And not one of us, according to the scripture, can endure the wrath of God. Not one of us. We are hopeless, and we are apart from the gospel, and apart from Jesus we cannot endure the wrath of God.
The Bible says over in the book of Joel, in chapter number 2, verse 11, if you will note this for me today and with me. “The Lord raises His voice in the presence of His army. His camp is very large, those who carry out His command are powerful,” and then listen to this phrase, “Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful.” And then underline this last phrase, “Who can endure it?” Who can endure it? No one can endure the day of the Lord. There is not one of us who can endure the judgment of God. And my friend that is why the hope today is for the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s the hope! And I pray that you will listen to the alarm that the coming day of the Lord is coming, and for you to come today and to give your life to Jesus Christ, to confess Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, turning from your present place spiritually, and turning afresh and anew to God, and making Him the Savior of your life. I beg you, I plead with you, I invite you today, come and confess Christ as Lord today! Don’t wait! Because it’s near. It’s devastating, and it’s unprecedented. Make Him Lord; make Him Savior of your life today!
In just a few moments I’m going to give every one of you an opportunity to respond to that, and to come and make Jesus Lord of your life, confess Him as Lord of your life, and when you do that, He will come into your life, He will take away all your sin, and He will give you heaven when you die. We need to listen to the alarm.
But we also need to:
(2) Sound the alarm. When the trumpet was blasted in chapter 2, verse 1, this was the alarm sounded that, that an attack was coming. There was a coming attack. There was a coming judgment coming. When Joel called for us to sound the alarm, he talked as a watchman would talk. You know what a watchman was? A watchman was on the wall. The watchman would go and he would be on the wall. The wall, the cities would be surrounded by walls, and they would stand on the walls, and as they were standing on the walls, they would stand there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the purpose of one thing: looking for the enemy. And if they saw the enemy coming, what did they do? They alerted the city. They sounded the alarm!
Joel said even as I am a watchman sounding the alarm to you, you need to be a watchman, and you need to sound the alarm to your generation of the coming judgment of God, challenging them to turn from their sinful state, and turning their lives to embrace the lordship of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Ezekiel who is in the Old Testament, he says if we take the time to sound the alarm, that it doesn’t matter whether people say yes or no to God, your hands are clean. But Ezekiel says if you do not sound the alarm about the coming judgment that is looming, he says this about us. Ezekiel 33, verse 6, he says, “I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.” In other words, for the blood of those left behind. Oh I’m telling you we’ve got to sound the alarm.
Last night I received a call from Craig Miller who was on the top of a hill overlooking Port a Prince, Haiti. He had flown into the Dominican Republic, drove 10, 12 hours, and that’s where he was. And he called me, and he said, “Pastor you won’t believe this, it’s devastation everywhere.” He said, “I,” he began to tell me several things. He said, “You know people are just standing all along the streets. There’s nowhere to go.” He said, “One of our Haitian pastors,” he said, “Hey I’m going to take this opportunity,” and he began to gather them there. And he began to preach the gospel. Before you knew it, 2000 Haitians had gathered around him. And when he offered them an opportunity to invite Christ into their life, and to embrace Jesus as Lord, 200 Haitians gave their lives to Christ. You see, now more than ever before the alarm needs to be sounded in Haiti.
And while we would do everything we can along with millions of other people across the world, to clothe people, to feed people, to give people water, and hopefully a place to live, and a place to worship, we need to understand the greatest need in Haiti today is not simply to be clothed, or to have a place to live; the greatest need in Haiti is the greatest need in America and the world, and that’s for the gospel to be proclaimed! The alarm needs to be sounded. There’s only one hope, and the hope is Jesus. That’s the hope. The hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When I think about us sounding the alarm, how can we not sound the alarm when we think of our own nation, the United States of America, with a population of 306 million people? Today has 254,600,000 people lost! In need of God! In need of a relationship with Jesus! Where they will unashamedly confess Christ as Lord! And you think about that 306million, and you think about that in comparison to the 6.8 billion in the world, even as big as we think the United States is, listen carefully, the United States population is only 4.5% of the world’s population. That’s all it is! And if that much of America is lost, and in need of Christ, know this, and understand this, 90% of the entire world is lost, and has never embraced Jesus as Lord! And they’re not ready for the judgment! They’re not prepared for the day of the Lord!
When you think about that 6.8 billion people, can get it in your mind today that 4 billion of those people have little to absolutely no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ? And out of that 4 billion, can you grab this? Can you put your arms around this for a moment today? That 1.5 billion of those people have absolutely no shot, no chance at ever receiving Jesus because they don’t even know who Jesus is, nor do they even know about His message! I’m telling you we must sound the alarm!
We must understand that as a church we must evangelize those who do not know Christ. In Gruden’s Systematic Theology he says that the day of the Lord should provide for us a great motive for evangelism, a great motive for reaching those who have never come to Christ as Lord. WE must sound the alarm. We must mobilize the forces, and we must win the lost to Christ now! Now we must win the lost to Christ!
Jesus said in the 24th chapter of the book of Matthew, verse 14, He says, “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all the nations. And then, the end will come.” Then the end will come. Have you ever been to a city, or maybe you’ve seen it in some unique environment in the American culture, it’s usually a guy, and he’s out holding a poster board and the board says something like, “The end is near.” Usually he looks a little different, maybe even dressed a little different, but he says the end is near. Have you ever seen any of that anywhere you’ve ever been? Oh I’ve seen it. And you know when you see that, you drive by, and most of the time you ignore it. You act like it doesn’t matter. Christians would be the worlds’ worst. We would smirk at it in our arrogance and make fun of him. But in reality that’s not very wise.
I’m not submitting to you that we all need to get a sign and walk around on the curb with it. But what I’m telling you is we need to sound the alarm that the end is near. And we don’t need to do it in a timid manner. We need to sound the alarm because billions of souls are at stake, including some souls in this room today. We need to sound the alarm.
I don’t know where you are with God today, but this I know, this is serious business. The end is near. And you do not have to go through the judgment of God. That’s why the cross exists. Christ died on the cross for one purpose, to liberate you from the judgment of your sin, and the judgment of your sorrow.
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