You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message.
There's nothing better than you, Lord. There's nothing, nothing is better than you. I'm not afraid to show you my weakness. You've seen them all. You still call me friend. Cause the God of the mountain is the God of the valley. There's not a place your mercy and grace will find me again.
Oh, there's nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing is better than you. Oh, there's nothing. There's nothing. Better than you, Lord. There's nothing. Nothing is better than dancing. You turn shame into glory. You're the only one. You turn bones into armies. These into highways.
Oh, there's nothing better than you. There's nothing better than you, Lord. There's nothing. Nothing is better than you. When is God going to step in and deal with all the injustice in the world? As a pastor, this is a common question that I'm asked.
The follow-up is often, why isn't God stepping in now? Or perhaps you've asked or contemplated these same questions. Sometimes it's triggered by a news story or witnessing injustice through oppression and violence. Other times it's very personal. Someone's lied about you to others or deceived you directly. Maybe they've cheated you out of something you deserved. Perhaps they've hurt someone you love. These people have caused real damage and they seem to be walking away without any consequences. In those moments, we can feel the weight of injustice and silently question whether God sees it and whether or not he's ever going to act.
You wonder, does God see this? Does he care? Why does he keep letting this happen? Today we're going to tackle these tough questions. My name is Jeremy and I serve as a lead pastor with Mountain View Church. If this is your first time watching or listening, please consider connecting with us at mountainview.church slash connect or drop us a direct message on social at Mountain View White Horse. We're continuing our study of the Old Testament prophecy of Joel, focusing on God's justice declared to the nations. If you have a Bible or a Bible app, open it to Joel chapter 3. We'll learn that God sees, he cares, and he will act in his perfect time.
My name is Jim. Our scripture reading is from Joel 3, 1-16. If you have a physical Bible, you can use the table of contents in the front to locate the page number for Joel. If you have a mobile device, you can download a Bible app or use the search function at Bible.com. We're going to start at chapter 3, verse 1.
For behold, in those days and at that time when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the 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, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land and have cast lots for my people and have traded a boy for a prostitute and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back...
I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. For you have taken my silver and my gold. You have carried my treasures into your temples. You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them from their own border. Proclaim this among the nations. Consecrate for war. Stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near. Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, I am a warrior.
Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord. Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow, for their evil is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw as their shining. The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people.
a stronghold to the people of Israel. Judah was a people living in the tension of injustice. Because of their sinful choices and rebellion against God, he had withheld his provision and protection, allowing devastation to come to them, including oppression from the surrounding nations. But now that Judah has repented, returned to God, and experienced restoration, they're wanting to see how he will act. And here lies the tension. Judah had accepted the consequences of their own sin, yet the surrounding nations had taken advantage of their weakness. They had committed atrocities against God's people, selling them into slavery, plundering their land, and mocking their God, as outlined in verses 2 through 6 of chapter 3.
Although God had not intervened at that time, he never forced these nations to commit this evil. So Joel assures Judah that God will bring perfect justice in his timing, and those nations will be held fully accountable for their actions. In verse 12, Joel declares, let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. We can be tempted to think of God's justice as something theoretical, but according to scripture, it's a certainty. These nations think they're coming for battle, but they're actually being summoned into a courtroom where God sits as judge over all these nations.
At least a few of you, upon reading that verse, immediately asked, but wait, what or where is the Valley of Jehoshaphat? According to the Old Testament, scholars and theologians believe that the Valley of Jehoshaphat is symbolic of God's final judgment. Easton's Bible Dictionary states that Joel speaks of the final conflict when God would destroy all Jerusalem's enemies. The Valley of Jehoshaphat may therefore be simply regarded as a general term for the theater of God's final judgments on the enemies of Israel. The New Bible Commentary affirms that Jehoshaphat, meaning Yahweh has judged, is associated with statements that God will judge. The Valley of Jehoshaphat, like the Valley of Decision in verse 14, is a term symbolic of the judgment, not a current geographical name.
So for us, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is a reminder that God has set a place and time for every act of justice. He's not late and he's not indifferent. God will judge the nations, but a righteous judge is also a sure refuge. Injustice will not go unanswered. Granted, it might not come immediately, but no matter how delayed it may seem to us on a human level, God's judgment is sure. As theologian John Calvin affirmed, God will at length become an avenger of the wrongs of his people when they shall be unjustly harassed by profane men.
Joel's prophecy is a reminder that God's justice is both universal and personal. Now, it's universal because no nation will escape his judgment, but it's personal because he judges, quote, on behalf of his people. Which begs the question, who are his people? And this question points us back to covenant theology, already discussed a couple times in this teaching series. Under the old covenant, Israel was God's chosen people. Then God sent his son Jesus, bringing in a new covenant for all people who receive him by faith. This is evidenced in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul, who started as a high-ranking religious leader who once persecuted Christians. So he knew the Old Testament law and prophetic writings, like the back of his hand.
But writing to the Galatian church, he stated that after Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Then writing to the Ephesian church, he says, for through him, we have both access in one spirit to the father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
This means that the promises to God's people for the time of Judah become ours by faith in Christ for all time. Coming back to the writings of John Calvin, he states, God will at length be the defender of his people against all nations. But the chief thing is that the afflictions of the church shall not go unpunished. For God at the right time will ascend his tribunal and cause all nations from every part of the earth to assemble and to be there judged. This is the unshakable reality for all time that becomes the foundation of Joel's prophecy.
Our righteous judge will take his seat and justice will be done. Old Testament scholar Charles Lee Feinberg paints a vivid picture connecting the Old and New Covenant within Joel's prophecy. He writes, although the nations gathered in the valley of Jehoshaphat in the white heat of wrath against Israel, it is there that they will meet the blessed King of Israel, their protector through the ages and their champion in the darkest and blackest hour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will sit ready to judge once and for all the accumulated sins of the nations against Israel. If we fast forward to the end of scripture, let's read from John's revelation of the end times. Because what Joel saw in symbolic form, John now describes in a direct vision of this final judgment. In the following passage, the summons to God's courtroom is complete and every person from every age stands before the throne. He writes, then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small standing before the throne and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. The scene outlined in Revelation shifts now from the courtroom to the carrying out of the sentence. He writes, This feels like a harsh reality, but...
It's the truth that for those who reject Christ, this is the most sobering outcome of all scripture. It leads to this moment that their judgment is final and eternal. But for those of us who have accepted Christ and those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life, the same judge is not their enemy, but actually becomes our refuge. In Christ, the day of judgment becomes the day of vindication and safety. And this is where our hope is found. You see, Joel's prophecy moves from the devastation caused by sin to the promise of restoration through repentance.
But this story that reflects the condition really of all humanity. But then in the very middle of his final chapter, we find a promise that points straight to the heart of the gospel. He writes, but the Lord is a refuge to his people. God's justice may seem delayed, but it's never denied. The ultimate expression of that justice is found in Jesus Christ, who offers eternal forgiveness and redemption to all who turn to him in faith. The truth is we have all sinned and stand guilty before a holy God. His judgment should fall on us.
We deserve the punishment and separation from God. And yet, in his great love, God sent his son, Jesus, who took our sin upon himself, and he bore our sin's penalty on the cross. And in doing so, he fully satisfied God's justice and opened the way for us to be reconciled to him. The same God who shakes the nations is also the God who shelters his people. And the good news is that through faith in Christ, his promise becomes our promise. The refuge we need is found in Jesus. And so if you repent and trust him, you will receive mercy and that shelter from judgment. The judge who should be against you will be for you. If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, this is your moment. Please pause this video or audio, stop what you're doing if you're driving, pull over and call out to Jesus. In this moment, make him your Lord and King.
the one who will one day judge all people, all nations, everyone, is offering you forgiveness and eternal life this very day. If you belong to Christ, live with the confidence that his justice is certain and his refuge is real. Here's a couple ways to make that happen in day-to-day life. First, let God be the judge. Release the need for personal revenge. If you've been wronged, take five minutes each day to name that situation before God. Hand it to him. Trust him with it, that he will handle it in his timing. And also,
Remember to live in his refuge. Start each day in scripture and prayer. Each morning, read God's word and pray. Offer thanksgiving that in Christ, your eternity is secured. No matter what comes, no matter what you've done, through Christ, you're forgiven. And thank him for that. He's not judging you because Christ took the penalty. One day, the judge will take his seat and perfect justice will be done. But today, that same judge is offering us mercy. So don't wait for a better time if you haven't yet responded because there isn't one. Right now is always the best moment to come to Jesus.
If you try to carry out justice yourself, you'll only end up bitter, restless, and exhausted. But if you entrust justice to God through Jesus, you'll find a peace that no human verdict could ever give you. Without Christ's refuge, you stand exposed to that judgment. But in Christ, the day of judgment becomes the day of your vindication and eternal safety. For those who belong to him, the judge is also your refuge, your shelter, and your king. The question is, when you stand before him, will you face his judgment, or will you rest in his shelter forever?
Let's pray. Thank you for joining us today. If you'd like to connect with us or leave a prayer request, simply visit mountainview.church slash connect, or you can send us a direct message on social media at Mountain View Whitehorse. If today's content was helpful, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel, then turn on notifications so that you catch each week's message right in your feed every week. Now, here's what's happening at Mountain View over the next couple of weeks. My name is Jason, and what I really liked about Fusion was the illusionist and his tricks that he was doing, which is pretty cool. And what really inspired me was like 800 other people worshiping God in the same room.
and thank you for sponsoring us and letting us go to fusion hi uh the fusion 2025 trip what a trip um what a thrill to be with all youth and to see that number of youth all in one place engaged in something that they were clearly uh you know very passionate about and it was uh for me i'd never been exposed to anything like that but what an impact Tremendous, tremendous experience. And if I got a portion of what the kids got out of it, then it was a win all the way around. Thanks for the opportunity. My favorite part about Fusion was spending time with friends and getting to know them better. My favorite session was on how to get the most out of your Bible studies. And just thank you to everyone for praying and donating. And thank you to the chaperones for donating their time and energy to take us to Alaska. My name's Ben, and I'm thankful to have been one of the chaperones on this year's Fusion trip. It was a meaningful time for everyone, and I'm glad I was able to go. I think the most impactful moment for me was seeing...
the hundreds of youth so excited to worship and learn about Jesus all together. And then another impactful moment was the leader sessions on prayer and how to incorporate prayer into youth group. Hey guys, I'm Luke. And what I thought was most impactful about Fusion was the sermons. I think Jake and Anthony, the two people that put on Fusion Alaska, are very impactful speakers. I also just want to give a huge shout out to Mountain City Church, the church that puts on Fusion every year for...
Teens like us. Hey, Mountain View. Just want to take a second and extend my sincere gratitude to all of you for making the Fusion Alaska trip possible for our students. It is such an impactful trip for them to be surrounded by like-minded youth and really refocus and recenter on Jesus. So thank you so much for making that possible for them. Following Jesus isn't something we do alone. It's meant to be lived out in community. That's why we have community groups, which are starting up again this fall. If you're looking for a group to grow with, pray with, and share life with, we'd love to help you get connected to one.
So if you feel God nudging you, perhaps not just to attend, but to host or facilitate, well, this is a perfect time to step in to whatever opportunity is offered. Visit mountainview.church slash community to find a group that fits your needs or demographic, or to let us know that you're ready to start a group. Let's step into the next season, growing closer to Christ and growing closer to each other. Now, parents, don't forget to check out our Basecamp Children's Program. We have downloadable video lessons and activities to help your kids learn and grow in their faith right now. This week's lesson's ready to go. Just visit mountainview.church slash Basecamp.
And for teens out there, our youth group meets every Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. It's a great time of fun and connection and growing in God's word. And so you can find all the details at mountainview.church slash youth. And last but not least, it's time for our discussion and prayer focus. Gather with those who you're watching with or listening with or put some comments in the feed if you're watching online and ask this question. How can trusting God's justice free you from personal revenge? Or maybe ask it personally. How can trusting God's justice free me from personal revenge? Once you hash that out or leave a comment in the feed, then pray.
Here's a prayer focus for this week. Pray for God to deepen your trust in his justice. and keep you resting in his refuge. Pray for God to deepen your trust in his justice and keep you resting in his refuge. Then please come back next week as we wrap up our Joel series with a final message called Glory Restored. Joel closes his prophecy with a breathtaking vision of peace, renewal, and God's presence abiding forever. We'll see how this future hope gives us strength and purpose for today, right now. If you've ever longed for lasting peace and restoration, come back next week. We're gonna hash it out and we would love to have you there. See you then.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the wilderness city of Whitehorse UConn.