You are able to provide all that I need for salvation, and all of it has been provided for us in Christ. Well, let's look at the other side of that coin, which is the word repentance. I've come only to tell us about the most essential and basic things about Christianity. Faith and repentance, this is how I become Christians. Repent and believe. is going to be the call that Peter will give in his message when they ask, what then shall we do? Repent and believe. A quick overview of the book of Joel. Flip through the book of Joel with me. The book of Joel, as you can see, is mercifully short. It's only three chapters long. Even you can read this in your devotions tomorrow morning. Look at that. Read through an entire book of the Bible. And it's very precise with what it's seeking to tell us. There is an invasion that has happened in the land. And the invasion is an invasion of locusts. They are defined in the first and really second chapters as an army. The language used for this locust is really the day of the Lord. They have brought upon the land Complete devastation. I mean, these guys have left nothing. And so as Joel is speaking about the invasion, what he does in those first two chapters is he invites, he calls the nation to mourn. Cry. Look at just how devastating The invasion of locusts has been to the land. And do what? Weep, mourn, lament. See those opening lines? Pastu, hear this, you elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land. Has such a thing happened in your days? Tell your children of it. and let your children tell their children and their children another generation. Namely, this is not an everyday occurrence. What has happened is dramatically huge. That's not a necessary repetition. What has happened? What's the cutting locust left, swarming locusts has eaten, swarming locusts left, hopping locusts has eaten, hopping locusts left, destroying locusts has eaten. Basically, nothing has been left. It's like one plate of food that has been eaten three times. Which means by the last time, the last locusts that are coming are coming to lick the plates clear. Get the idea? You know when you eat your food, there's at least a couple of grains of rice left. Second round, those grains were scooped clean, but at least there's some gravy that's left. Third round, even that has been swept. These guys have been left with nothing. Such a thing has never been heard in the land. Question, what is the response? Answer, verse five, awake and wail. It's repeated over and over. Why should we awake and wail? Because the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. That's the idea of a nation that has come up against them in verse 6. Look at verse 8, lament like a virgin. Why? Like a virgin who's lost the bridegroom of her youth. It's a simile being used there. It's the grain offering that has been cut off. Look at verse 11, be ashamed and wail, O vine dressers. Why? For the wheat and barley, it's all perished. Things are pretty hard in the land. But in the first two chapters, what Joel is really doing is he is stating the obvious. Not that. He is stating the obvious. Do you tell someone in pain to cry? Do you? You don't tell someone in pain to cry. Of course you cry. You're in pain. And so the entire portion, he's stating what they know they can relate with. And then he's telling them to do what is most natural. But you see what he's doing is he's taking that actual reality of famine that has been brought about by invading locusts, and he wants to point them to a spiritual need that they have, which is the heart of our message. Look at verse 12. Yet even now, declares the Lord. Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster. Who knows? whether he will not return and relent and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God. Level one, level one, very tangible problem. What's the problem? No food. Can you relate with no food? I mean, maybe you can relate with no food, you know, because you skipped lunch or something like that. I mean this is like really no food, famine, level one. What should they do because of no food? Cry, mourn, lament. What are the people saying? Oh yeah, we can feel that. What is the plague being described as? As the day of the Lord. It's a signaling of the day of the Lord is near. That's what it's signaling for them. No food, locusts have come, day of the Lord. What should you do? Think about the coming day of the Lord. And when you think about the coming day of the Lord, I want you, if you're going to lament to this degree because of no food, because of an invading army of locusts, I want you to lament to this degree because of the troubles coming our way on the last day. He's connecting with them a pain that they can relate with. And he's wanting them to see through that pain that they can relent with that there's a greater problem that they're facing. And their greatest problem is not a lack of food. Their greatest problem is their sin and the judgment that is coming upon it. And so he wants them to tear off not their garments, to rend not their garments but their hearts. The passage continues, look at chapter 2 and verse 18 to summarize the entire book. The Lord had pity. The Lord had pity. This devastation that is spoken of doesn't continue on to the end. God has mercy. And so in verse 18, it speaks about a God who remembers his covenant with his people. And he responds by providing for them all that had been taken away from them. And so the locusts that had come are spoken about as being removed in verse 20. And in 21 and 22, it's consolation. Fear not, O land. Fear not, you beasts of the field. But then that consolation of restoration, no food, chapter one and chapter two, half of chapter two, last half, food is restored. It's granted to them in the latter half. But the restoration that is going to be offered to them is not merely of food, of vineyards and fig trees. It's going to be upped to another level, which is what you're seeing in verse 28. You see verse 28? It's those verses that Baptists really are afraid of. And I shall pour, and it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and the female servants in those days, I will pour out my spirit. When does this happen? Acts chapter 2. Good job. Yeah, chapter 1. And then chapter 2, Peter preaches and he says, what has happened here is what the prophet Joel spoke about. Here's what I want you to see. Two tears. Have you seen the two tears? Here are the two tears. Physical affirmation. Physical tribulation. Famine. Cry. It's a day of the Lord. But then he goes and he says what? Ah, there's a greater day of the Lord, the last day of your judgment. Lament even more. Rend your hearts, not your garments. I want your lamenting to be commensurate to your true spiritual state. What are you lamenting of now? Physical trouble. I want you to lament for your spiritual trouble. That's the first portion. Second portion, restoration. The famine will be replaced with plenty. Ah, but the restoration will go even beyond that. The spirit will be poured out on all flesh. Have you seen that restoration? Two-tiered? This is great. Ah, this is even greater. It's really how the book is structured. And then chapter three, which is the last chapter, speaks about the judgments of the nations. Here's how all things shall come to a conclusion. How shall all things come to a conclusion? The Lord judges the nations. For behold, in those days, and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my heritage, Israel. The final state. that goes on all the way to the end of the chapter. What is the final state? God's people will be saved. That's going to be a permanent state that will continue on and on into eternity. And all those who have rejected God will be punished. That's an overview. Here's what I want us to see in this particular book in brief. I want us to see the urgency of the moment that we are in right now. The call that Joel is extending to you and I today is Ken, Mbugua, and everybody else who's hearing the message of Joel. Here's a call. Repent. Why? Why, Joel? Would we repent? Here's his answer. Because the day of the Lord is at hand. So the first sermon is very descriptive. Here's what true saving faith is. This is meant to be instructive. Namely, do this and do it now. Do it today. Because that's the message in the book of Joel. So at your conference, let me ask you, what day is it today? What day is it today? Why are you being so coy? Why are you being so unsure? Don't be too safe. Don't play it safe. Just tell me. What day is it today? Today is when? Okay. Today is Monday. It's July 1st, right? It's July 1st. What are you up to today? What are you up to today? Antioch has come around again. How many of you have come to Antioch for your very first time? Hands up. First timer. Hands down. Second time. Okay. Third. It's good stuff. You're on holiday, two-day holiday. It's the first. The sun is shining. It's not as cold as it's been. It's a bit warmer. I wonder what they're serving for lunch today. It was so good to see so-and-so. She came, I didn't expect to see her here. This summer I wonder how long it will go. I don't know what things you're concerning yourself with. I'm in grade 12, it's a big year for me. Or maybe I'm in grade 11, I say it's gonna be grade 12, it's gonna be a really big year. Or maybe I finish school and what day is it today? Question, another question. Are you sitting on that chair today thinking that tomorrow will be just like today was? And today is just like yesterday was. You know how days go, eh? Days go so fast. I can't imagine the day's already finished. It's already 12, or two minutes to 12. And you know what next week will be? just like last week. Isn't that our understanding of time? What is time? Time is just this flowing thing. Life is just this thing that just continues to happen. And maybe you can get yourself some entertainment with watching a good movie or listening to a good song or having some fun and, you know, disrupt the monotony of time. Joel wants to encourage us to have a spiritual view of time. That's what I'm going to try to convince you of in the next few minutes. So as to encourage you to repent for the day of the Lord is at hand. Joel is seeking to encourage you to have a spiritual view of time. What I have just explained to you is a very unchristian view of time. The non-Christian view of time assumes tomorrow will be just like today and today was just like yesterday. It's called secularism. It does not see the world as a thing where God speaks. It does not view what matters today in the eyes of a God who is actively involved in our day-to-day activities. And so it misses out on the poignant importance of right now. Right now. Right now is not as important when you view time like the world views time. Right now is just like in the afternoon, hey. Right now is just like in the morning. What is the importance of right now? Hear the message of the book of Joel again. Repent, why? Because the day of the Lord is at hand. It's urging me, Ken, don't fool yourself. See right now in light of then. I want us to look at a few verses to show you that, but let me give you one more illustration before we move on. How many of you have watched Marvel movies? Have you watched Marvel movies? Marvel movies, there you go, there you go. Hands straight up, come on. Be honest, it's an anti-conference. Okay, keep your hand up, keep your hand up. If you have watched Marvel movies, any of them, and you have also read the whole book of Joel, keep your hand up. The rest of you put your hand down. You see, you see? Keep your hands, all of you put your hands down. This is not me trying to convince you to read your Bibles more. Just to say this, in the Marvel movies which I've watched, like all of them, there's this multi-universes that happen at the same time. You know those, huh? Now we are talking. Now, I've not seen that many nods at this conference so far. Here's what Joel is doing. Joel is speaking to a people who have been devastated because of a famine. They are broken, they are crushed, they are hungry, they are in pain. And what he does is he opens up like a time portal. See it right above their heads. And it opens up like this big hole, gaping. And what he shows them in the big hole that is gaping is the day of the? the day of the Lord. And he's telling them here today where they are, hunger, pain, devastation, lament, you're weeping, appropriate response. But then he opens a time portal and he shows them the day of the Lord, not as though it's this thing that is so far in the future. It's Korea, Korea, Korea, in the future you can't even see it. He's taking that day of the Lord and is bringing it to their present and showing them, here is where you are today. The call to you today, right now, is to act in light of that day of the Lord. Do you feel that pain? Do you feel that angst? It's going to be nothing compared to the day of the Lord. Here's a phrase you want to get from the book of Joel. Right now, right now matters forever. Right now matters forever. Can we say that together? Right now matters forever. One more time, right now matters forever. Listen, the world does not think so. The world is going to say to you, right now doesn't matter forever, you have forever. That's what you have. You have forever. No rush. I mean, look at yourselves. You're young people. Your whole life is ahead of you. No urgency in the right, oh my goodness, that is the lie of the devil himself. It's the lie of the devil himself. So let's build this quick argument and make the application and learn this sermon. Notice chapter 2 verse 10, see how he combines time. Time in the book of Job is all sandwiched together. It's like ham and salami and some cheese, it's all put together as opposed to this linear thing that extends into the future. Look at chapter 2 verse 10, right? Chapter 2 and verse 10 will say, The earth quakes before them. Remember who the them is? The locusts, okay? They've come. There are so many. The ground itself is shaking. Devastating. The ground quakes before them. The heavens tremble. Catch this phrase. The sun and the moon are darkened. This was the day of the Lord in the locust invasion. Go to chapter 2 and verse 21. We've done a massive flip in verse 12, yet even now declares the Lord, repent, right? Look at chapter 2 and verse 21. Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice. For the Lord has done great things. You beast of the field. Oh, sorry, this is, it's verse 30. Verse 30, chapter 2 verse 30, and I will show you wonders in the heavens and on earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness. Have you seen that somewhere else? You saw that in the verse you just read in chapter 2 verse 10. Locusts coming, go back to 2.10 again, 2.10 again, locusts coming, what happens? Sun and moon are darkened, locust invasion. The pouring out of his spirit, another day of the Lord, that for them was in their future, for us, according to the apostle Peter, is in our past. What will happen when all these grand things are being realized? The sun shall be turned to darkness. And then look at 315. Speaking about the judgment day. What shall happen at the judgment day? The sun and the moon shall be darkened. Are you seeing that? So question, which is the day of the Lord in the book of Joel? The day of the Lord in the book of Joel is the day of the invasion of the locusts. They are being brought face to face with the reality of a God who cares about their present. What signs accompany it? Sun and moon darkened. What is the day of the Lord? Something future. When Christ himself would die on the cross, what happened on the day that Christ died on the cross? The sun was what? The sun was darkened. A day when God brought about his judgment upon Christ who hung on that tree. But then future, what will happen in the future when the Lord brings about universal judgment? The sun and the moon will be what? Will be darkened. Reverse that to their present. Here's what Joel is saying. Do you know how important right now is? This is your day of the Lord. Because what you do today is going to matter forever. The implications of what Christ accomplished on the cross are on you right now, right now as you sit here. What reality you're being brought face to face with is the reality of that great day when Christ was hanging on the tree. and facing the judgment, the condemnation that you deserved that day and that judgment, that day when that sun was darkened is what you're being brought face to face with right now. But not just that, the realities of that last day when you will stand before God to give an account. the one who is judge of the heavens and the earth, not Twitter, not popular opinion, not what your friends think, or what all the cool people are convinced about, or what influencers say. This world has one judge, and his word will stand. And on that judgment day, that reality is what is being brought upon me today. So Ken Bugwa, who's preaching to you this sermon, is nowhere above this. I'm being asked, I'm being asked right now to repent of my sins. Can? Can. I mean, you guys could all leave these chairs and disappear. This message is relevant to the guy who's preaching it still. There's at least one person who needs to hear it still. So we have many of us. Here's what's being said to us this afternoon. Don't lose sight. of the urgency of repenting right now. You know today, for some of you who might have heard something said, maybe in the songs, maybe in the service leading, maybe in the sermon. Today might be the last day some of you get an urge to repent of your sins. And here's what you're being asked to not presume. Do not presume on the work of the Spirit in your life. If you hear the Lord, do what? Today is the day of salvation. And the prophet Joel wants his audience to hear this word without urgency. In chapter 3, he describes the judgment that is going to come with a vision that he sees. And he says this in verse 9, proclaim this among the nations, consecrate for war, stir up the mighty men. and let all the men draw near. Verse 11, hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves here. Bring down your warriors, O Lord. Let the nations stir themselves up, and all the surrounding nations. Multitudes upon multitudes in the valley of decision. A question for you and I. is what shall we choose? What shall we choose? If I don't get a sense of urgency of my sin, I lose the sense of urgency of my choice today. If I don't see my present in light of the reality of that last day. The choice I make about my sin looks light, looks little, looks not pressing, looks like something I can put off for another day, something I can put off for another week, something I could put off for a while, maybe when I get a little bit older, I can consider this. I have time to repent, I have time to change, I have time to decide. The book of Joel says no. Today is your day of the Lord and the calling is to repent. for that day is at hand." But notice this, not only is the call on the one day to repent because on the one hand, the day of the Lord and the judgment is at hand, is to repent as well because of the provision that is going to come from the Lord, the day of consummation. So look with me at these three verses again. Amos, not Amos, Joel in chapter 1 and verse 5. Look at Joel in chapter 1 verse 5. He says, "'Awake, you drunkards, and weep and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.'" Why should they wail? Because their wine has been cut off from their mouth. No more wine. Locusts have come. They've destroyed absolutely everything. Look at chapter 2 and verse 24. What is the restoration that they can long for? Chapter 2 verse 24, the threshing floors shall be full of grain and vats shall overflow with wine and oil. Earthly devastation, oil, wine cut off from the land. Wail because of that. Wail because of that. Ah, but there's a greater devastation. Rend not your garments but your hearts. Whether wine was cut off from their mouths, wine is full in their vats. But notice the consummation, how that eternal state is described in chapter 3 verse 18. In that day, the mountains shall drip. with sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the steam beds of Judah shall flow with water." The picture of the day of the Lord is one that divides in every sense of the word. On the one hand, there is the ultimate devastation judgment that is coming upon all those who have rejected God. But on the other hand, for all those who have accepted God and His call to repent, what they're receiving on that day is not merely the restoration that replaces the devastation of chapter 1 and 2. It's this entrance into an Eden-like world of full provision. Joel is using language they can relate with. Has any one of you ever lived through a famine? There might be, I don't want to take it for granted, because I'm in Lusaka. Has any one of you, maybe not because of living through a famine, but maybe a situation of poverty, you went through a time when you didn't eat. You didn't eat breakfast because there was none in the house. I know many of you have never experienced this, but no breakfast because there's no food in the house. No lunch because there's no food in the house. And supper, maybe you drank a lot of water to just try go to sleep. And then perhaps in the morning, next day in the morning, you're waking up and there's almost a numbness in your body. And maybe there's just a little bit of food that you can just split up and each of you gets just a little bit. And at that point, plain beans boiled taste like Filet mignon steak medium rare. That's Joe. Hazel chapter one is saying, that's the devastation. But then Hazel chapter two is saying, provision. Think about that same child opening the pantry and they're seeing food, flour, sugar, cornflakes, raisins, biscuits, eggs, food in abundance. What happens in your heart? Provision. Supply. I have what I need. That's stage two. Chapter two. Here's where he goes with chapter three. Oh, it's not just wine that was cut off and now has been provided. It's wine that is flowing down the mountain. It is dripping. The entire mountain is dripping with an abundance. This is like fantasy level excess provision. The need that you feel you have completely holy, eternally, provided for in the presence of God forever. That is what is happening on the last day. While some are entering into that place of judgment and devastation, others are entering into what the Scriptures will describe as the consummation. This is the destination of creation. This is what you were made for. Safety, provision, bounty, not in yourself, not in this world, but in God Himself. There is not a need you have ever known. whose provision is not found in God. Do you see how that's the book ends? Look at verse 17, so you shall know that I am the Lord your God who dwells in Mount Zion. Look at the last line, for the Lord dwells in Mount Zion. Repent and come to me. Turn away from your sin and come to me, God is saying. Why come to me? Because the day of the Lord is at hand. Repent of your sins because of an urgency with your decision today. Your sin and your idolatry will be brought to judgment. Hear that now as you will on that last day. Don't be like Esau who threw away his birthright whimsically, carelessly. And when he wanted to repent, it was too late. And he wept. Don't act like that today while you're negotiating for a bowl of beans and you're about to cast off your inheritance for nothing. See it now as you will then. Oh, but you say, perhaps, but sin is sweet, but to be thought well, of my friends and my peers to be seen as cool is too good of a thing. Really what you're saying is to belong, to be accepted. It feels too big of a void in your heart for you to turn away from it. Well, hear this, not just warnings of impending judgment, but hear this, you were made for God. It's Augustine who says, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. None of your boys or your girlfriends, with all the love they could shower on you, all the acceptance they could ever give to you, will ever replace the gaping hole in your heart that only God can fill. And chapter 3 is saying, that's what the day of the Lord will be. There is no suffering, no pain, no want you will experience in choosing to follow God in this world that will not be abundantly repaid in being in His presence in the world which is to come. The book of Joel, repent, repent for the day of the Lord is at hand. So let me ask you again, what day is it today? What day is it today? Let me ask you this. Is the day when one sits for his final exams an important day? What about the day you walk in to interview for your dream job? Can you imagine the butterflies? Or maybe you dream to leave Africa and go and live the dream life in Europe, eh? I can see some faces here. What about that day you walk in for that visa interview? And you're being asked questions. How important will that day be? I'll tell you this. The same level of urgency you feel there? Or may the Spirit help you feel it now, where you're sitting. And where you're sitting, may you feel God is right now putting a choice in front of me. And here's what he's saying. Turn away from your sins and receive me. And know what life is. what eternal life is. Life is only found in me and that is what I offer you today. That's what is on offer today. Decide to receive it. Reject the offer and here's what he's saying to you today. Don't choose, don't choose the judgment that will come upon you on that last day. Because that is what you would be choosing today by rejecting him. This God is able to offer us that life only because Christ died on the cross. The words that Joel uses that we shall close with describe the God who is speaking to you right now. Listen to him in verse 13. Return to the Lord your God, why? This God is gracious. This God is merciful. This God has been slow to anger. Look at Hashem in God, look at how patient He's been with you. Day after day after day, He has been patient with you. This God is abounding in steadfast love. Here's that last one. This God, he takes delight in relenting from disaster. Nothing would please this God more than to turn the wrath that you deserve away from you. He is begging you, give me a reason to turn that wrath away from you. And the way in which he purchased that offer was by pouring that wrath on his own son. I pray that the Spirit would do the work that only he can do to help us all heed the call to turn away from our sins and to receive his offer of mercy. Lord, would you do so, I pray. I plead with you for Christians who are in the room right now, whose lives are manifesting a growing habit of sin, whose lives are manifesting a belittling of idolatry and iniquity. Lord, I pray that in your mercy, you would show them the seriousness of their sins today as they shall see it on that last day. Oh Lord, I pray that for myself as I do for everyone else who hears me. And we ask for grace for those who don't know you, who have never placed their faith in Christ. Oh, how we plead with you. that the lie of the enemy, that they have time, would be undone, and that you might help them sense the urgency that is the reality of right now. You are mighty to save, and so we plead with you that you would grant saving faith and true repentance to many here today. We ask this in your son's name, amen.