Dear Friends in Christ,
Within the last couple of years Hollywood has rediscovered a classic piece of French literature written by Victor Hugo, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." At least two new versions have come out that I’m aware of (the better known one by Walt Disney). You may or may not have seen either of these new offerings, but I would guess that at least some of us may remember the old 1939 black and white movie (also a classic!) starring Charles Laughton – or in some other way may be vaguely familiar with the story. Briefly, it goes like this…
The hunchback, whose name is Quasimodo, is the bell ringer for the huge Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris in the late middle ages. Usually laughed at and avoided because of his physical deformity, Quasimodo is smitten by an act of kindness toward him by a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmerelda. As time goes on Esmerelda is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to be executed by hanging. When, from his perch atop the cathedral, Quasimodo sees the sentence about to be carried out, he comes to her rescue. And that rescue scene is one of the most dramatic parts of the story…
Keeping in mind that those massive European Cathedrals took decades and sometimes even centuries to complete, Notre Dame Cathedral was sort of like our church was last year at this time – under construction. The outside walls were lined with scaffolding and ropes. Quasimodo climbs down from the outside of the bell tower where he lived, gets onto the scaffolding, takes one of the ropes, swoops down into the public square where Esmerelda was about to be hung, throws her over his shoulder and runs back to the cathedral. The stunned crowd is momentarily paralyzed, but eventually goes after him. But Quasimodo makes it inside the church safely. And all the while he’s running he is shouting one word over and over again: "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"
You see, with that word he was appealing to a custom that had its origin in provisions made by God already in the Old Testament; namely that there were certain places of sanctuary – or safety – where no one could be touched or harmed. Church buildings in the middle ages were considered such sanctuaries. In spite of the evil and threats and potential harm that existed on the outside, once inside the walls there was safety…
It is that same kind of image that our text for today brings to mind. In the final verse of our text we are told as believers that the Lord is our refuge and our stronghold. In other words, it is in Him and His Word and His Son, Jesus Christ that we find our
SANCTUARY!
Our text for today is from one of the less familiar books of the Bible, the Old Testament prophet Joel. Allow me to fill you in on a little background before we move through this section verse by verse…
Like most other Old Testament prophets, Joel (Hebrew for "The Lord is God") was called by God to bring His people to repentance at a time when they had strayed from Him and His Word. Joel openly and boldly speaks of the particular types of judgment the Lord had in store for them if they did not return to Him (an all consuming plague of locusts and drought). And the reason he is so specific is so that when it happened they would know this was not just some bad luck, but a misfortune they had brought upon themselves…
Several times in his short book Joel speaks about the upcoming "Day of the Lord." Depending upon the context, this can mean a number of things – but each meaning has something to do with judgment. Sometimes it refers to a time of judgment that God will bring upon unbelieving people to get their attention – such as a plague of locusts. At other times Joel refers to the "Day of the Lord" as a time when God would send the Savior, Jesus, into the world. The thought of judgment there is that the first coming paves the way for the Second Coming. Finally, Joel also refers to the individual Last Day, or Judgment Day (which could happen at any time) as the upcoming "Day of the Lord."
It is this last "Day of the Lord" – Judgment Day – that Joel is referring to in our text. Let’s turn to it now. It begins with God pronouncing His judgment upon the enemies of God’s people throughout the ages…
"Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the valley of Jehoshophat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side." The Lord tells the enemies of God’s people to prepare to meet Him in the valley of Jehoshophat. Earlier in the history of God’s people, at a time when they were under a king named Jehoshaphat, the Lord won a great victory for them and brought judgment upon their enemies. The point is that the same thing will happen in a much bigger way on Judgement Day…
"Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow – so great is their wickedness." The point of the imagery is this: Just as there is a harvest of crops in due time, so there will also be a harvest of judgment against the wicked at the proper time. In His patience, the Lord may allow the enemies of the cross a bumper crop of overflowing wickedness, but in the end He will not be mocked. There will be a day of reckoning. We find words similar to this and with the same thing in mind in the Book of Revelation.
"Multitudes, multitudes into the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Another striking picture. As is stated elsewhere in Scripture, no one will escape that Day. Everyone will appear in what is referred to here as the valley of decision – the place and time when God the just Judge will render His decision upon each individual of all mankind. And, we are reminded, that Day is near…
And when it comes, there will be no mistaking it… "The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble." Jesus also talks about the visible, heavenly signs that will immediately precede the end and the great majesty that will accompany Him on the Last Day. The point is that when Judgment Day comes, no one will be left wondering whether or not this is it. Everyone will know…
And for many, many people, that will be a terrible day. For those who do not know Him or consciously rejected Him or wanted nothing to do with Him, it will in fact be horrible day. Those who interpreted God’s patience with wickedness as tolerance or tacit approval or powerlessness to act will feel the full force of His righteous anger against sin.
But not us. Why? Because on that day "the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel." In other words, the Lord will be our safe place on that Last Day. We will stand safe, secure, protected… and saved. Not because we are intrinsically any less sinful or wicked than those who will suffer eternal condemnation, but because our sins have been forgiven. As we sang in the opening hymn, "Jesus, Your blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress; mid flaming worlds, in these, arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head…" For the unbeliever, the Lord will be a terrifyingly righteous Judge. For us – His people – He will be a refuge and a stronghold. He will be our SANCTUARY…and in Him we will live safely forever.
So far the text. The initial, timeless truth we are reminded of in this text is the simple fact that there will indeed be a final Day of the Lord. And it will be a Day of Judgement. As mentioned just a moment ago, for the unbeliever that will be a terrible day. But not for us. Consequently, let this fact be restated and underscored: We as believers will stand before God with our sins forgiven. The Holy Spirit has brought us to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior; as a result we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ won for us by His sinless life, death and resurrection. On that day, we have nothing to be afraid of…
We mention this because, even though we know this to be true in our head, in our heart of hearts there may yet reside some fear or uncertainty as we contemplate that Last Day. There is a natural discomfort and profound recognition of our own sinfulness when we think about standing before a holy God. We see this often in the Bible. When sinful people recognize they are in the presence of God or a holy angel, the first thing they usually have to be told is: "Fear not." And so we dear with a fear of the knowledge of our own sinfulness and unworthiness.
Then there is also fear of the unknown. The idea of all these great things which we’ve never experienced before taking place on the Day of Judgment also may frighten us. I remember as a child routinely praying in my personal bedtime prayers that God not let Judgment Day come until I had died. I guess upon analysis, in my young mind suffering death seemed less frightening than Judgment Day…
But again, let us be clear. For us, this will be a day of triumph and joy. In speaking about the end times to His disciples, Jesus said that when those signs in the sky that immediately precede His second coming appear, we should "lift up [our] heads, for [our] redemption is drawing near." We have nothing to fear, because God and the salvation He has prepared for us in Jesus Christ is our eternal SANCTUARY.
However the SANCTUARY we find in God and His Word and His Son is not limited to the Last Day. He is our Mighty Fortress now. Today, tomorrow and forever He is and ever will be our refuge and stronghold. Our text speaks plainly about the wickedness and imperfection and difficulties as God’s people we must endure in this world up until the Last Day. How do we cope with them?
For instance, where do we turn when life isn’t going right… When it becomes apparent that some of our fervently held hopes and dreams will never become reality?
Where do we go when we feel like such a minority in the world or the workplace because of the Scriptural values and views that we hold?
Where do we go when we’re tired or discouraged or down or feel we are not being understood?
Where do we go when, despite having all kinds of people around us, we still feel lonely? Or when people fail us or disappoint us?
Where do we go when we just feel sick about some of the stuff going on in the world and worried that either we ourselves or our families or our grandchildren are eventually going to get caught in the crossfire of increased wickedness?
Where is my rock, my fortress, my safe haven, my SANCTUARY at that these times?
Jesus Christ and His Word and His promises. A mighty fortress is our God.
To the tired, He says: "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
To those wounded and besieged and attacked because of the faith and values they hold, He says: "A servant is not above His Master… If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." And so will you with My help!
To those dealing with loneliness and have felt the sting of rejection, He says: Others may, "but I will never leave you or forsake you… I have summoned you by name, you are Mine."
To those who are struggling because their lives are not turning out the way they had hoped or planned, He says: Whatever you don’t have is really inconsequential. If you’ve got Me, you’ve got everything…"
And so, in a very practical way, the Lord our God through His presence, His Word and His promises serves as our daily SANCTUARY.
Let’s end this morning by returning to our opening thoughts. There was a time when people sought sanctuary from all the evil around them in the church building. It was a designated safe place. There they were secure. The prophet Joel reminds us today that our safe place is not a building. It is a loving, protecting and forgiving God – a God who is our refuge and stronghold.
This is wonderfully practical and comforting news. Therefore may the eternal Sanctuary we find in God and the salvation He has provided for us in Jesus Christ allow us to look forward to the Last Day with joy and anticipation… and may the daily Sanctuary we find in His Word and promises strengthen us and keep us safe until that time. Amen.