This morning I begin a two-part series through the book of Joel. The reasons for this are: 1) few of us are very familiar with this book, but as believers we need to know the Word of God, 2) Paul writes to Timothy that the Scripture is useful to teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, and so Joel will aid us in those areas, and 3) the message of Joel speaks very much to our need to understand sin, God’s judgment, God’s mercy, and the hope that we have in him. Therefore, we look into this unknown book.

The setting of Joel is one of disaster. The people of Judah are suffering the worst locust invasion in the nation’s history (1:2). There’s drought and fire (1:19-20). The drunkards have no wine (1:5), priests have no sacrifices (1:9), and the farmers have no harvest (1:11). Therefore, the priests are to lead the nation in prayer and fasting at the temple (1:13-14), but there is worse things to come (1:15). For in reality, the locust invasion, though really occurring, is only serving as a metaphor to the people of the coming of God’s day of judgment in which he will send forth his army and execute judgment on those who are in sin (2:1-11). It is a day which is inevitable without true, genuine repentance (2:12-17).

So what can we learn from Joel? There are two major lessons that I want us to see this morning.

God counts sin so seriously that he never simply overlooks it (1:1-2:11)

Because God is holy, he can have no part with sin; nor can he simply overlook it. He judges all sin. For this reason “pretty good” can never cut it with God. If you are to be in his presence for all eternity, then you will need the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to you, not simply a pretty good effort on your part and God looking over your rebellion against him. He judges all sin (how he judges all sin will be discussed later).

Even in God’s own children, he will not tolerate sin, but he will discipline them. The author of Hebrews writes in 12:5-6, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” So if you are his children and tolerating sin in your life, God will discipline you for your sin.

God disciplines his children for their sins for a couple of reasons. First of all, he does it because he is a jealous God and is concerned for his glory. Therefore, if you have committed idolatry (which all sin is), then God will discipline you because he is jealous over his children. Secondly, he disciplines his children because he is concerned for their good. And their good is being conformed to the image of Christ (which is why Romans 8:28 and 29 are back to back verses connected by “for”).

In Joel, God is disciplining his children and pronouncing a coming judgment on all who are unrepentant.

Therefore, because God does not overlook sin, we must not overlook it either. Don’t think that by overlooking and ignoring sin in your life you can avoid the discipline of the Lord. In fact, you should not want to avoid such discipline, for if there is no discipline from God as you are tolerating sin, then it might be a manifestation that you are not truly his child. For remember from Hebrews 12:6 that God disciplines the one whom he loves.

Therefore, for believers, fight sin as that which detracts from God’s glory. And for non-believers, understand that God’s judgment for sin for someone with an unrepentant heart is knowing his eternal wrath as he throws those whose names are not found in the book of life into hell. Thus, he will eternally judge sin.

God takes sin seriously and so must we. But there is another lesson in these first couple of chapters.

Though judgment or discipline is inevitable without repentance, genuine repentance will reveal God’s mercy (2:12-17)

After this horrible picture of coming judgment in 1:1-2:11, God says, “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?” (2:12-14).

God is a merciful God in the presence of a repentant people. However, repentance must be a genuine change of heart and not simply adding on external things to try to compensate for your rebellion. You must agree with God, hate your sin, have your heart changed toward sin, and live out the cry of your changed heart (2:13).

But we cannot change our own hearts, so repentance demands the grace of God. For this reason, if you long to repent of your sin before the Lord, then you are tasting his grace and should fall on your face before him, repenting and thanking him for his grace and mercy. For as you have such a heart, you will taste the Lord’s mercy this morning. If you are tolerating sin in your life this morning, repent. Repent because you can.

But don’t these two lessons seem to be contradictory? For if God judges all sin and never simply overlooks it, then how can he show mercy to repentant men. Or to ask the question more pointedly: How can God genuinely offer his mercy to those who will repent in Joel’s day if he is a God who judges sin and never simply overlooks it? There seems to be two options, and neither of them possible - either the offer is not genuine or God will overlook sin. Otherwise, how can God forgive and still be just?

The answer to God’s mercy and justice is found in the cross

God answers these questions in Romans 3:25-26. Paul writes, “God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith Jesus.”

So God’s offer of mercy and his passing over of Judah’s sins would not compromise his holiness for he still judged their sins – he judged them in the cross. So either God’s justice will be shown in his eternal wrath poured out on you for your sins in hell or his justice will show in his justifying you because he has already judged your sins in Christ. In both cases, God’s justice and holiness is displayed.

Therefore, his merciful offer of relenting from judgment if Judah would repent was an offer based on the sacrifice of Christ. In this way, we see again that all forgiveness of sin is based on the death of the Son of God. The cross makes repentance and forgiveness possible.

What do we then do to obey God’s Word?

The answer to this question is that we repent of sin. If you are not a believer, then you are unrepentant and storing up for yourself the wrath of God on the day of judgment (Romans 2:5). The Scripture commands you to turn from your sin and place your faith in Christ as the sacrifice for your sins. For it is written, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

If you are a believer, have you grown comfortable with lust because you tell yourself, “Everybody does it?” Are you withholding forgiveness you’ve been hurt deeply? Are you tolerating gossip in your life? Are you disobedient with your giving because times are hard? Are you out from under the discipline of a church because you haven’t found some ideal church?

In all of these things and hundreds of others, are you tolerating sin in your life? Joel teaches us that we must treat sin seriously. We are commanded to repent of our sin. If you are tasting God’s discipline for your sin, repent. May we live holy, for our God is holy.

May we obey his commandments, for that is the description Christ gives of those who love him. Amen.

THE SERIOUSNESS OF SIN AND THE JUDGMENT OF GOD