Hymn

o Not all classes took a break for Thanksgiving, like we did,

So many classes are a week ahead of us,
Until Christmas break brings our lessons together again.
One TL posted on facebook the following conversation
Between a mom and her child, whos in the preschool program:
Mom: Charlotte, whose birthday is in December?
Child: Jesus.
Mom: And what do we call Jesus' birthday?
Child: The Day of the Lord.
o Our lesson today may not be about Christmas,
But many wonderful Christmas hymns include truths about
Both the first advent of the Messiah, when He came as a baby,
And His second advent, when He will come with all His power.
Would you stand, and listen for those truths as we sing this song
(though I did combine 2 songs in 1 )
o Angels from the Realms of Glory (3x in F, 2x in G, 1x in A)
Announcements:
o Kathy address class

Hymn
o Search Me O God
Announcements:
o Childrens Main Truth: A time called the day of the Lord is coming.
1. During the day of the Lord, Jesus Christ will judge the hearts of all people.
2. Jesus will punish all people who are His enemies.
3. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
o IGO next week

o Now, let me start the recording, and well pray...

Day of the Lord

Joel and Peter prophesy about the Day of the Lord.
Debbies prayer: Do not let us let your word off of us, but let it sink deeply, as you shoot those
well-aimed arrows into the right places of our hearts today.

I. Intro
What would you have changed in your life, if you knew then, what you know now?
o Would you have refused to get involved in that relationship?
o Would you have chosen to eat differently, to exercise more?
o To treat your family differently? Or spend more time with them?
o Would you have spoken differently?
What would you change if only you knew?
Well, todays lesson is on the Day of the Lord,
o And we're going to look at God's certain coming judgment
o On this world and the rebellion of sin.
This is not speculation. It is certainty.
And if we understand it properly,
It should absolutely transform the way we think and live.
My prayer is that we will all leave here today, knowing this truth, that
Aim: POWERPOINTThe Certainty of God's Righteous and Dreadful Judgment
demands a Response.
o While this very sobering truth does not immediately provide deep heart encouragement,
It is a truth that we cannot afford to miss,
And it must shape us as Christians.
God loves us enough to speak the truth, even when that truth is hard to swallow.
You will not be able to say, "If only I knew",
Because God has told you what you need to know,
So that you can respond rightly.
o The Certainty of God's Righteous and Dreadful Judgment demands a Response.
So with that in mind, please open your Bibles to the OT book of Joel,
o And then put a little piece of paper in 2 Peter 3,
o So you can turn there quickly later on.
Throughout our study of Revelation, we are pausing at some critical places
o To explore some things
o That will expand our understanding of Revelation.
For the last two weeks, weve been in Revelation 4 and 5.
We entered the grand and majestic throne room of God Almighty,
And we saw the worthy Lamb, ready to initiate God's final plan for the world.

 Our lesson this week will prepare us for whats next, beginning in Revelation 6,
Where the Lamb begins to open the 7 seals of the scroll,
And unleash God's frightening wrath on this earth in devastating judgment.
And I hope each of our lives will be changed,
As we look, today, at these 2 divisions...
Divisions: POWERPOINT
o Gods Call to Repentance, from the book of Joel, and well see that repentance is the only right
response to the Day of the Lord.
o God calls His people to Readiness, in 2 Peter 3, and how were to live in light of the coming
Day of the Lord.
II. Call to Repentance (Joel)
A. Introduction to the Day of the Lord
So what is the Day of the Lord all about?
o First of all, this is a phrase that refers to the catastrophic judgment of God on the world,
And His corresponding deliverance of His people.
These two are always paired in Scripture thankfully, right?
o Other phrases, throughout the Bible, that mean the same thing, are
The Day of God or simply That Day.
In Revelation, you may see The Great Day of Wrath.
Also, the Day of the Lord does not refer to a single day, or a single event,
o But a period of time, with stages of fulfillment.
We often see, especially in the Old Testament prophets,
Multiple fulfillments, in which the prophet predicted an event
That would take place in the near future,
But would foreshadow a greater fulfillment in the distant future,
That will ultimately culminate with Gods final judgment,
In which Gods holy wrath will come crashing into humanitys sin
In a very devastating and catastrophic way
As well as His final redemption,
Foreshadowed by every promise that has already been fulfilled in the past.
B. The challenge about The Day of the Lord
Were going to meet with some very sobering truths in this lesson,
o As well as throughout Revelation.
And each time we do, it will be helpful to ask ourselves the question:
What is true about God in this?
o So, in light of the Day of the Lord,
Whats true about God, that will help me understand it?
Well, He calls the shots, because He is sovereign.

o He controls the beginning, the middle and the end.

He started this world with His word of power,
And He will bring this world, as we know it, to an end with His word of power.
o Every detail of that entire process will happen exactly as He wills.
God is also just, and He knows everything.
o He weighs all interests perfectly, and He will respond perfectly.
In contrast to the frightening display of justice
On those who have consistently rejected Him,
We will see highlighted the wonder of His grace to all who repent
This is still justice, because the judgment the repentant deserve
Fell on the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
o His righteousness is seen
In that He will exercise His judgment
With moral purity, in a way that absolutely upholds what is right.
C. Plague of Locusts and call to repentance (1:1-20)
So now let's look at Joel.
o Joel has a very strong link to Revelation, because he predicts many of the same things,
o He prophesied at a time when the people of Israel were asleep in their sensitivity to sin.
Their sin didnt bother them,
So God sent judgment on them
To wake them up from their spiritual stupor,
And bring them to repentance.
The first of judgments, in chapter 1, is a plague of locusts,
o That leaves such devastation in its wake, that nothing is left.
o The people and animals are starving and pining away.
And, although this is a physical calamity,
Joel is clearly recognizing and proclaiming God as the source of it.
Thats kind of a hard truth to swallow, isnt it?
I mean, isnt God love?
But the Bible is very clear that Creator God is the Ruler all of nature.
o Not only nature, but He is sovereign over everything,
And He uses it all, whether natural disasters, economic downturns, even sickness,
To wake people up, and call them to repentance.
So, when disaster hits, its always good
To ask God what Hes trying to say to us in this situation.
The first fulfillment of Joels prophesied judgment happened, in Israel,
o As a result of Israels persistent disobedience, and turning away from the Lord.
o Idols took the place of their worship of God.
Even the leaders were corrupt, leading the rest of the nation astray.
Kind of like our day, huh?!
So God calls the spiritual leaders to lead the way

 In mourning for their sin, and crying out to the Lord in repentance.
1:13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister
before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth

14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders,

and all who live in the land, to the house of the LORD your God, and
cry out to the LORD.
In other words, wake up, and weep!
o Mourn because of your sin,
o Because greater judgment is coming in the future,
And if you dont cry out to the Lord in repentance,
You will be swept away in it.
15 Alas, for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come
like destruction from the Almighty.
God is using this devastating plague of locusts
o To call for waves of healing, restorative repentance,
o That will sweep across all ranks of society.
Boy do we need that kind of repentance in our nation today!
We do not live in a world that applauds mourning of any kind.
We say, Chin up! Things will get better!
We love to laugh
But we need to cry.
Our world has been ravaged by sin
o And yet, how we love to be entertained by sin, and even applaud it.
We are not shocked or saddened by sin in this world, as we should be.
We are not shocked or saddened by sin in ourselves, the way we should be.
o We aren't that sad, because we don't think we're that bad.
We greatly overestimate our goodness,
And we greatly underestimate our capacity to sin.
o We think we can cover it all by a simple prayer, asking God to forgive us
When our own sin should make us weep!
God calls us to own our sin
Without excuse without defense without evasion.
o There is a purposeful, effective sorrow over sin to which God calls His people.
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to
salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Our sin costs us, and it costs others.
o And maybe most importantly, it cost Jesus,
Because, on the cross, we see the extravagant love and extreme cost
It took to pay for your sin and for mine.

o Jesus, on the cross, was directly tied

Not just to this nebulous sense of humanity's sin,
But to my sin, my specific sin,
And your sin, your specific sin.
We must own the fact that it was
My anger, my lust, my lies, my greed, my pride, my impatience, my bad attitude,
My gossip, my overindulgence, my complacency, my prayerlessness
That nailed Jesus to the cross.
So what sin do you minimize and excuse?
o How do you fail to recognize what your sin costs you,
What it costs others,
And what it cost Jesus?
o When was the last time you weren't just sorry, but sorrowful, for specific sin?
Not the consequences of sin,
But the offense your sin is to our holy God?
You know, great historical revivals are almost always characterized
o By deep mourning over sin,
Where people get on their face and weep for the state of their nation,
And the state of their own soul.
o But we dont mourn as people without hope.
When we mourn sin, that mourning is productive
If we seek God, and come to Him in repentance.
D. Judgment is coming (2:1-17)
As we continue in Joel, chapter 2,
o The prophets descriptions of judgment intensify,
o As we see that the locust invasion is now what seems to be a powerful army.
And he warns in v.4: "Blow the trumpet! Sound the alarm! Warn people!"
Were called to warn people that judgment is coming!
Joel describes the devastation of this invading army, in v.1-11,
o Leading him to call for another wave of deep, genuine repentance
12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your
heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."
o Confessing your sin
Agreeing with God about the horror of your sin
Not seeing it as the culture, or even the church, sees it,
But as God sees it!
There is no allowance for respectable sins.
Every sin is of infinite offense to God.
13 Rend your heart and not your garments...

 Dont just go through the motions of appearing repentant to others,

o Rip open your heart, expose your heart to God.
Ask Him to get to the root of your sin
And show you the deeper heart sin that leads to your outward behavior.
Rather than simply confessing to God that you lied,
Ask Him to show you what you fear more than Him that made you lie.
Rather than confessing your irritability with your husband, or your friend,
Ask Him to strip you of your selfish pride
That makes you think you always have to be right.
o We need to have the Holy Spirit search us deeply,
To show us, not just what we did, but why we did it,
So that we can repent of specific sin, not just confess our general sinfulness.
o We need to read the Bible, not just to encourage or bless us,
But to convict us, so that God can change us from the inside out.
We sin in so many ways
o The way we think, what we say, what we desire, what we do and what we fail to do.
o And the sin we recognize doesn't even scratch the surface.
But when we ask God to search our hearts,
He is so faithful to show us, in increments we can stand,
Specific sins we need to confess,
And specific acts of obedience to take.
When the enemy accuses us, we get this murky, unclear sense of shame.
The Lord, however, doesn't leave us frozen or paralyzed with despair and guilt.
And the more we grow in our understanding of the love that it took to take away our sin,
o The more our hatred of sin will grow, so.
13 Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents
from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a
blessing
o But even if He doesnt, we must repent.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast
More than we need a meal, we need the mercy of God.
More than the pleasure of food, our souls long for the presence of God.
16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the
elders
Those of us who are in leadership, this call to repentance begins with us.
o God calls us to stricter accountability for our sins,

o So we need to lead the way,

Weeping for our sins, and pleading for Gods mercy,
So that those who follow our examples will do likewise.
E. The Forecast of the Day of the Lord (2:18-3:21)
OK, now we're going to fly very quickly through the rest of Joel
Beginning in v.18, Joel foretells Gods grace on His repentant people
o We can assume the people of Joel's day responded to his message,
Because it says that the Lord pities them.
He drives out their enemies, restores their crops, showers them with rain,
o And there is a beautiful promise in v.25,
That God will repay the years the locusts have eaten.
We all have places in our life that have been devastated by sin,
And the Lord is so faithful to restore that, in response to repentance.
2:27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the
LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will
my people be shamed.
In verses 28 and 29, God promises the pouring out of His Spirit.
o These are the very words that Peter quoted at Pentecost,
o When Jesus sent His Spirit to live within the heart of every believer.
Joel also predicts, in v.30-31, a huge cosmic upheaval in the heavens,
o And we're going to see that, starting next week, with Revelation 6.
o But, in v.32, he gives a promise, that
32 ... Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be
savedthere will be deliverance, as the LORD has said
And then, at the beginning of chapter 3, Joel talks about this big battle,
o Where God draws the nations together,
o In the valley of Jehoshaphat, paralleling Armageddon in Revelation,
And God will judge the nations,
Particularly, for the evils theyve committed against His people.
Joel calls this the valley of decision,
But the decision isnt theirs anymore
Their time to repent is over,
And God will now decide against them in judgment.
If you continue to resist God, to resist His mercy through Christ,
There will be a day when you will be unable to decide anymore.
So Joel is calling for a right response NOW,
o To the sobering reality of Gods judgment:
o Get on your face, and get right before God in repentance.

F. Principle: POWERPOINTGod's warnings of judgment call us to take sin seriously and

repent.
Repentance is the only Right Response to Gods Righteous Judgment.
o He warns us in the Bible, in love.
o He warns us through our own personal disasters,
Disciplining us, so that we might see the depths of our own sin,
And realize that we cant trust our hearts to lead us in the right way.
We need the Lord to do that.
In fact, one of the marks of spiritual maturity,
o Is, not so much celebrating Gods deliverance,
o As much as recognizing the depths of our own depravity,
How desperately we need Gods mercy.
And so we cry out to Him in repentance and utter dependence.
God's warnings of judgment call us to take sin seriously and repent.
G. Applications:
You know, its easy, as believers in Jesus Christ, to think about a truth like this,
o And say, Gods got that sin covered. Jesus bore it on the cross.
And that is all true.
For every look at ourselves, we must take 10 looks at Jesus.
He is our righteousness. He is our salvation, our victory.
o However, we must still take a good long look at ourselves,
And not take the sin we see lightly.
Because true repentance is not just, "I'm sorry, forgive me,"
But "I'm sorry enough to stop."
Not like a little kid who just hit her sister, and will do it again.
I want us to be a people who are jolted by sin!
o May God give us such a vision of His holiness, and our own sinfulness,
o That we might be overwhelmed by the horror of our sin,
While, at the same time, overwhelmed by the mercy of our Savior, the Lamb,
Who took Gods judgment for our sin upon Himself.
Do you tend to avoid reading about Gods judgment,
o Because you prefer to know Him as the tender loving Father,
o Rather than the righteous Judge?
The very fact that I felt this lesson would be such a downer
Shows that thats sometimes the case with me.
So this challenge is for me, as well as for you:
Lets allow the Divine scalpel to stab our hearts with precision
Every single time we open His Word
So that He reveals specific sin to us,
As well as the obedient steps we need to take, in light of who He is.

 And what will you ask God to change in you,

o So that your response is more and more one of repentance?
o What aspects of repentance do you need to implement,
So that your heart increasingly breaks,
Because of sin, and its devastating effects?
H. Transition
God calls us to awaken to our ongoing need of repentance.
o That's what Joel has been telling us.
o Peter, now, will call us to live in light of the Day of the Lord.
So please turn to 2 Peter 3,
But keep something in Joel 3, cause were coming back to it at the end.
III. Call to Readiness (2 Peter 3)
A. Think Rightly (2 Peter 3:1-7)
Peter begins by telling his readers, in v.1, the purpose of his letter,
o And that is to stimulate them to wholesome thinking, to think rightly,
Especially as concerns the Day of the Lord.
o How do you do that?
By being in the Word, by recalling what the prophets, such as Joel, wrote.
We think rightly by filling our minds with Scripture.
Dont allow yourself to be misled, because, v.3 says that
o Scoffers will come, and try to convince you
o That all this apocalyptic teaching is hogwash.
They say
4 "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
But they deliberately forget that,
o Long ago, God judged the world with a flood, in Noahs time,
o Because of the extreme wickedness of humanity,
And, v.7, the same word, which spoke creation into existence,
Will call down judgment again, in Gods proper time.
B. Trust Gods timing (2 Peter 3:8-10)
He does not mark time like we do, v.8 says.
o To God, one day is like a thousand years to us.
Hes not slow. Nor is He in a hurry to judge the world.
Rather, He's patient.
If you are undecided about all this judgment, and about Jesus Christ,
This is your moment. You need to hear v.9:

9 He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but

everyone to come to repentance.
Maybe God brought you here today, to hear that message,
So that you might come to Jesus.
But the Day of the Lord will not be delayed forever.
o When its time, and God says enough is enough,
His judgment will come swiftly and suddenly,
And most will be caught off guard, for
10 the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by
fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
This will be a catastrophic, cataclysmic, disastrous intervention
o By the God who sees all, knows all, and judges all perfectly.
Hes done it before in the flood.
Hes judged through many disasters throughout the centuries.
o And you know what?
Every judgment, prior to the great final judgment, is really an act of mercy.
Because they serve as a warning, calling people to repentance.
C. Live Godly (2 Peter 3:11-14)
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of
people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming
We cannot live holy and godly lives by our own efforts.
o We can only do so, as we stay close to the Lord,
Sensitive to His leading,
Responsive to Him in our daily walk, as we apply His Word to our lives.
Repenting of sin, each time He convicts us,
So that inch-by-inch, day-by-day, all by His Spirit.
He redeems our wretchedness,
As we take baby steps of repentance and obedience.
And did you notice, that as we do that?
o We can hasten the day of His return?!
When He will create a new heaven, and a new earth,
The home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make
every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

D. Be Forewarned and Forearmed (2 Peter 3:17-18)

17 Therefore since you already know this [see, you cant say you
havent been told, that you dont know. Therefore], be on your
guard so that you may not be carried away by error .

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Just grow in Christ.
o That's how you get ready for the Lord to return.
Keep studying the Bible,
Keep repenting,
Keep walking in obedience.
E. Principle: POWERPOINTGod's Patience in Judgment should drive His people to
Righteous Living.
His judgment is certain,
o But He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish,
o Not wanting anyone to be caught off guard.
Hes told us in advance.
Now He expects us to live in light of this truth,
In holiness and godliness, as we look forward to that Day.
God's Patience in Judgment should drive His people to Righteous Living.
F. Applications:
So what would you do differently, if you knew what was going to happen?
o Only a fool can ignore the sobering truths weve looked at today.
So how are you going to live?
What choices to do you need to make?
How will you guard against being carried away by false teaching?
What heart change do you need God to produce in you,
So that you can live a life worthy of the Lamb who was slain for you,
And are ready when He comes again?
What attitudes, priorities and actions have you chosen
o Because of a lack of urgency regarding Christ's coming judgment?
Do you ever look at the people around you,
And wonder about the condition of their soul?
Do you even care?
I have to be honest and say that,
Too often, Im just content in my own little Christian bubble.
o And maybe thats you too.
If so, then will you join me in asking God to break your heart
Over the spiritual condition of the lost, and their eternal destiny,

 And to give you a sense of urgency, and a boldness,

To share the vital truths of the gospel with them?
IV. Conclusion
The certainty of Gods righteous and impending judgment demands a response.
o So I want to even challenge you, when you get home,
o To get alone with God,
Ask Him to search your heart,
To show you specific areas of sin in your life,
And plead with Him to give you a deep sorrow over them,
And to show you how to live in obedience to Him,
In anticipation of that great Day of the Lord.
And if youre here, and youve never repented of sin before,
o Then let this be the first moment, and the most important moment,
o When you, for the first time in your life,
Agree with God about the sin in your own heart,
And see that He has loved you enough to send His Son, Jesus,
To be born as a human baby
So that He might die on the cross,
To cover over all your sins with His blood,
So you can be ready for His return.
Because God has a glorious future for His people,
o And Joel ends his book, in chapter 3, v.17-21
o Look at it with me and see how he ends
With that wonderful theme,
Which we're going to celebrate throughout our study of Revelation
With all the chaos and judgment
The great Day of the Lord will bring
On those who refuse to repent,
And reject His grace through Christ
16 But the LORD will be a refuge for his [repentant]
people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.
17 "Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in
Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will
foreigners invade her.
18 "In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the
hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with
water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD's house and will
water the valley of acacias.

20 Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all

generations.

21 Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned,,, I will

pardon." THE LORD DWELLS IN ZION!
Theres coming a day when the Lord will, not only judge all sin,
o But also fully deliver His people,
o And we will experience the unhindered delight of His presence.
Doesnt such a glorious future give us reason enough
to flee sin and live for God now?!
Let's PRAY.