Joel: There is Still Hope for Revival
Tony Schachle
Minor Prophets | Major Messages • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 8 viewsIsrael was in trouble. Their sins had brought the judgment of God upon their nation. Swarms of locusts had destroyed their crops. Their enemies had invaded and destroyed their vineyards and orchards. Drought had devastated their crops and their livestock. All of the blessings that Israel had once enjoyed, God had taken it away by an act of His divine judgment. We are no better off today. The judgment of God is being experienced in the nation of America and her churches. As was true in Joel’s day, the only hope is repentance and a commitment to return to God and serve Him. But also, as was true in Joel’s day, there is still hope for revival!
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The nation of Israel was in trouble:
They had experienced a massive invasion of locusts,
A terrible drought, and
They were under constant attack from their enemies.
All of this was because of Israel’s sins.
What was their sin?
Joel doesn’t say specifically, but we can read between the lines:
Complacency, and
Apathy toward God.
God used nature and the surrounding nations as divine judgment.
The purpose of His judgment was to wake them up and turn them back to Him.
God was demonstrating His patience and mercy.
Joel is a book of judgment, but it is also a book of hope.
God was showing Israel that even in the midst of divine judgment, there is always hope.
God was just waiting on them to turn back to Him and He would reverse the curse into a blessing.
Joel is written to Israel, but there is also an application for us today.
In the book of Joel, God is dealing with Israel’s past and her future.
It looks back at God’s judgment on them for their sins.
But it also looks forward to the day when the curse is lifted and they will enjoy the blessings of God.
Just like Israel, we live in a nation that is under the judgment of God.
When we look around and see the condition of our nation, we wonder if there is any hope.
And not just our nation, but the church as a whole is in a terrible condition.
In many ways, the church is broken.
We can also look at it and wonder if there is any hope.
We can wonder if there is any promise of revival.
But this book teaches us that there is still hope!
Jesus can fix a broken nation.
Jesus can fix the broken church.
There is still hope for our nation, our churches, and our future.
There is still hope for revival!
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
The Problem
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.
They Faced Devastation
One plague of locusts after another devastated their crops and left no food.
4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.
They Faced Destruction
They also faced invasion by their enemies. What the locusts didn’t destroy, their enemies finished off. They destroyed their vineyards and orchards.
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion. 7 He has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white.
They Faced Desolation
They were also hit with a devastating drought. There was no rain and the crops failed. The herds and the livestock died.
9 The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the Lord; The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord. 10 The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails.
They Faced Discipline
None of this happened by accident. God was judging Israel for her sins.
14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
THE STATE OF OUR NATION
We are facing the judgment of God in United States of America.
Natural disasters are on the increase.
Severe weather hits more frequently.
Inflation has caused prices for everyday items increase.
We are living in a nation:
That protects the wicked and punishes the righteous,
Where fear has replaced faith,
Where sin has replaced sanity,
Where greed has replaced God, and
Where hatred has replaced holiness.
America is beginning to reap the judgment of God for her sins.
THE STATE OF OUR CHURCHES
And the condition of the church in America is no better:
The altars have been abandoned,
Prayer is no longer a priority,
Worship is weak,
Evangelism is not effective,
The Word of God has been watered down,
Commitment has been replaced by complacency,
We get more excited about a fishing trip or a round of golf than a church service,
We wink at sin and wince at the holy commandments of God,
We have lost our fire, our power, and our desire for the things of God,
We would rather play than pray,
We would rather have our ears tickled than our hearts searched by the Word of God,
We would rather be entertained than challenged,
We would rather stay like we are than become more like Him.
We are under the judgment of God because of our sins!
That is why our nation is in the condition it is in.
That is why our churches are in the condition they are in.
That is why there is a spiritual drought.
That is why demonic forces have been allowed to invade and eat up all the good.
The church is broken and only Jesus can fix it!
The Plea
Even though Israel was under the judgment of God, there was still hope for restoration.
A Plea for Repentance
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?
Genuine repentance is our only hope for survival.
The only hope for America is for America to repent and turn back to God
The only hope for the broken church in America is to repent and turn back to God.
If my people...
A Plea for Restoration
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
God is calling on everyone, from the youngest to the oldest to return back to Him.
God is calling on ministers of the Gospel to lead the church in turning back to Him.
The Promise
God promised Israel that if they would return to Him, He would bless them again.
The Promise of Restoration
18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
God promises to deliver them from their enemies. He promises to feed them, bless them and satisfy them one more time. If their will come to Him, He will restore them to a place of blessing.
God will restore if we will only repent!
The Promise of Revival
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
God promises to send the “former rain” and the “latter rain.”
The “former” rains fell in October and November. They helped replenish the soil in preparation for the next planting season.
The “latter” rains fell in March and April. They came just in time to ensure that the harvest would be bountiful.
We need a revival!
The Promise of Rejoicing
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
God’s people will experience His blessings and will desire to worship Him!
The church is a shell of it’s former self.
But it is not too late for the church to return to Him again!
The Promise of Realization
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
The church needs to come back to the realization of who God is.
I believe the church will and that there will be a great end times revival.
CLOSING
CLOSING